Jay Naidoo talks about our shared responsibility for the future

Our commitment to continuing Madiba’s legacy is the basis of our ‘why’ as an organisation. It was therefore especially heartening for our local and international stakeholders to hear firsthand from a struggle veteran who learnt firsthand from Nelson Mandela. We had the privilege of hosting Elder Dr Jay Naidoo during an exclusive session as part of the Future of Education: A 5-Day Global Exchange in May 2025.

Dr Naidoo shared lessons of our past and, more importantly, of our shared responsibility for the future. ‘Giving is not charity. It is investment. Investment in long-term stability; in healthier, peaceful and thriving communities, in a skilled, resilient workforce, and in an economy that works for everyone. Profit without purpose leads to collapse. Purpose without courage leads to irrelevance. Servant leadership is where the two meet and where hope begins.’

Dr Naidoo encouraged more partnerships between business, civil society and with young change makers. His words drew sighs of admiration when he added that these collaborative efforts exceed philanthropy and instead transcend to making those partners co-creators of the future. Referencing the Future of Education, Dr Naidoo said the harnessing of intellectual and business capital, and skills into a radical collaboration, is how solutions are found while ensuring no one is left behind.

While sharing about his personal journey, Dr Naidoo referenced his fight for political freedom, saying he’s now committed to a different kind of liberation; the healing of people and our land, and a profound reconnection with Mother Earth. Dr Naidoo spends his time as a member of a mining community in the buffer zone of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and Cradle of Humankind in the Magaliesburg Mountain Biosphere, “I was part of a generation prepared to die to achieve our freedom. Today, I ask the youth I meet: ‘what are you prepared to live for?’ That is why I’ve begun a new journey: a project rooted in natural farming and natural healing. It’s not just about growing food or promoting natural ways of healing, in addition to modern medicine. It’s about reclaiming our connection to the earth. It’s about restoring dignity, sovereignty, and wellness, especially for communities that have been neglected or harmed.”

Dr Naidoo shared how by supporting regenerative agriculture, indigenous healing practices, and holistic community development, the move towards a sustainable future becomes achievable. He added he’s working with mining companies to aid renewal, “The world doesn’t need more billionaires. It needs more bridge-builders. People no longer trust titles. They trust action. Business must stand for something greater than growth. It must stand for dignity.”

Hosted at the office of Nutun, in Johannesburg, the Elders’ conversation also featured activist Ms Elinor Sisulu. She’s an expert who has been working at the coalface of literacy efforts for a number of decades. The Zimbabwean-born scholar of history, literature, development studies, and feminist theory is known for her contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. In post-democracy South Africa, Ms Sisulu has focused on empowerment through literacy. As Executive Director of Puku Children’s Literature Foundation, she’s exploring what we need to do to get our children reading, to get our teachers better educated to impart that knowledge, and to foster a love for books in all generations across our country.

Ms Sisulu shed light on the literacy crisis in business. GIFS has done formidable work in encouraging our industry to do more to build a reading culture at work and in homes. Among the initiatives that GIFS has championed is the promotion of reading culture by employees so that the skills and habits formed are taken to homes where children can benefit from them. It goes back to the alarming statistics that emerged about the literacy rate among young children. In 2023, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) revealed that 81% of South African Grade 4 learners could not read for meaning in 2021. South Africa was ranked last out of the 43 countries and experienced the largest decline of all the countries participating. And South Africa’s assessment in the global study took place a year later than most of the countries assessed.

Ms Sisulu encouraged the audience to take the lead in building a reading culture wherever they go. Imagine how much more forward South Africa would be if we all adopted a more progressive attitude towards reading ourselves, as well as for our children?