The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship is a prestigious

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

which provides funding for up to two years of postgraduate study at a South African university. It is awarded by the Mandela Rhodes Foundation. Recipients of the scholarship are referred to as Mandela Rhodes Scholars and are designated similarly to

Rhodes Scholars The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...

, e.g. "Pie-Pacifique Kabalira Uwase (Rwanda & University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006)".

History and aims

The Mandela Rhodes Foundation is one of Nelson Mandela’s three official legacy organisations, founded in 2003 in partnership with The Rhodes Trust. The Foundation was announced in February 2002 when The Rhodes Trust, as part of its centenary celebrations, partnered with

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

and pledged funding for the scholarship for 10 years. Jakes Gerwel, chancellor of

Rhodes University Rhodes University () is a public research university located in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the prov ...

and Rhodes Trust CEO

John Rowett John Rowett is a British historian, academic, and academic administrator. Career John S. Rowett started his career at University College Wales in Aberystwyth, Wales, UK. He was fellow and tutor in history at Brasenose College, Oxford, and wa ...

hatched the idea. The Rhodes Trust wished to return some of Rhodes' wealth to South Africa and Africa "in a symbolic act of reconciliation and reparation". It was determined that funding of £1 million would be provided annually to the foundation for the scholarships. The mission of the foundation, which was established in 2003, is to help build exceptional leadership capacity in Africa. Mandela's intention was to "close the circle of history" by utilising

Cecil Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes ( ; 5 July 185326 March 1902) was an English-South African mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896. He and his British South Africa Company founded th ...

' resources to address the inequalities that result from the legacies of

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

and

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

. The name of the foundation is intentionally provocative; "it is a call for the beneficiaries of colonialism to participate in and contribute to repairing the damage of colonial times and building a more just society". The first eight Mandela Rhodes Scholarships were awarded in 2005. By 2025, 734 scholarships had been awarded to future leaders from 37 African countries.

Eligibility and coverage

The award is open to all citizens of African countries. Applicants must be under the age of 30 years and recipients must study towards Honours or Master's degrees at recognised South African institutions. Recipients of the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship are students with outstanding academic achievements who also possess leadership ability, entrepreneurial skills, and a commitment to reconciliation. The scholarships are comprehensive and cover tuition, accommodation, meals, book allowance, general allowance, and travel expenses. In addition to receiving funding for their studies, scholars also undertake a leadership development program while in residence.

Famous Mandela Rhodes Scholars

Many Mandela Rhodes Scholars have gone on to take up leadership positions in public governance, the private sector, and elsewhere. Some examples include: # Janet Jobson, CEO of The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation # Judy Sikuza, who succeeded Shaun Johnson as CEO of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation #

Ntokozo Qwabe Ntokozo Qwabe (born 1991) is a famous gospel singer and also Rhodes Scholar who was one of the founders of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign at Oxford University. His subsequent comments following the 2015 Paris attacks and behaviour towards a white ...

, founder of the

Rhodes Must Fall Rhodes Must Fall was a protest Social movement, movement that began on 9 March 2015, originally directed against a statue at the University of Cape Town (UCT) that commemorates Cecil Rhodes. The campaign for the statue's removal received glob ...

in Oxford campaign # Mark John Burke, South African Member of Parliament for the Democratic Alliance # Suntosh Pillay, LGBTQ+ activist # Marius Redelinghuys, former South African Member of Parliament (MP) # Athambile Masola, South African writer # Luke Kannemeyer, Group COO of South African startup SweepSouth # Kristal Duncan-Williams, former CEO of Youth Capital # Nicholas Mulgrew, writer

References

External links

* {{Nelson Mandela, state=collapsed Nelson Mandela Scholarships Rhodes House 2003 establishments in South Africa Cecil Rhodes Education in South Africa