When offered the chance to represent South Africa at a BRICS Conference in Russia, he seized the opportunity with both hands. At this virtual event, he presented a paper on a topic he cares about a lot – ecology. His paper, using a South African
case study, was titled: The role of agrobiodiversity on environmental management and its impact on human ecology.
Sustainable resources
From an early age, growing up in a very isolated community called iSihuzu on the outskirts of Richards Bay, Qwabe worked hard. He not only reaped the rewards by seeing all his tuition fees paid, but he was also offered opportunities to make a difference
in society.
“I want to see a society that leads a sustainable life and values its natural resources. This is what wakes me up every morning. That is what I am working towards,” he says.
Qwabe has a registered organisation that, among others, seeks to achieve agricultural biodiversity, respect and value for local knowledge, sustainable development, as well as youth and community engagement.
The organisation has two legs – one dealing with agricultural production and the other focusing on social entrepreneurship. “As part of this social entrepreneurship initiative, we are working with schools in the north of KwaZulu-Natal, where
we do outreach programmes (e.g. donating school uniforms), and run projects driven towards sustainability,” says Qwabe.
But he believes that it is his voice on indigenous foods, together with his passion for research – complemented by community development initiatives – that contributed to his selection as one of Mail & Guardian’s top 200 Young South
Africans.
A greater vision
He is happy to be in the academia and believes that it will propel him towards his greater vision.
“My vision for my future is to be well-known for my contributions on matters of environmental sustainability, and equally so, for community development. Parallel to my philanthropic undertakings, I envision being a leader in one of the leading organisations
on environmental sustainability, such as the World Health Organisation's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO),” says Qwabe.
Here he would like to focus his energies on food security, nutrition, and food safety; sustainable management and use of natural resources and forestry; and institutional capacity building for the sustained management of natural resources and increased
agriculture production.
The next generation
Qwabe believes he is making an impact and building a solid foundation for the upcoming generations to build upon. He urges the youth of South Africa to strive to make a difference. “No matter how small it might seem,” he says.
“To borrow from the American songwriter, Michael Jackson – WE are the world. And that 'WEness' denotes that each one of us has a role to play.