Latest news with #Phaladi
The Star
29-06-2025
- General
- The Star
Small school sparks big dreams
BANELE Phaladi wolfed down a thin slice of bread and kissed his mother goodbye before walking around the dilapidated streets of Alexandra township to his colourful classroom at the Kgololo Academy. At this elite primary school in one of the most destitute areas of Johannesburg, classes are small, teachers enthusiastic, and every child is known by name – a learning environment miles away from the under-resourced local state school marred with overcrowding and discipline issues. Jumping between potholes and puddles, 12-year-old Phaladi passed the gates at dawn, welcomed with a cheerful greeting of hugs and high-fives from school staff and his classmates. The daily greeting 'allows us to make sure everyone is seen, who's in a good or bad mood but also who has been injured, sick, or has a bruise,' explained Waahida Tolbert-Mbatha, the 45-year-old American founder of the Kgololo Academy – meaning 'to set free' in local Setswana language. With only 173 learners – an average of 25 per class – the independent school says it aims to provide children with 'a world-class education, within their community'. 'In the public school next door where classes have more than 50 pupils, the teachers have to focus on the few more advanced kids,' said maths teacher Portia Mamba, 32. 'Here we are able to focus on the ones who are struggling. Any child can learn when given the right platform,' she said. Tolbert-Mbatha co-founded the school 10 years ago with her husband Thulani Mbatha, a native of the poverty-stricken township which borders the affluent neighbourhood of Sandton, known as Africa's richest square mile. When Mbatha was a child, a visiting American teacher spotted him writing his homework in an abandoned bus. The teacher tutored him and his friends and eventually funded their university education. 'This completely changed the trajectory for him – but it is problematic that all the people who made it were 'discovered' because they happened to be at the right place at the right time,' said Tolbert-Mbatha, who has a background in teaching. 'We wanted to create an environment where everyone gets discovered,' she said. Quality education at home To achieve academic success, Alexandra's best pupils usually rely on scholarships to private schools in more affluent areas. South Africa's ongoing legacy of racial segregation, even 30 years after the end of apartheid, means the children often stand out in rich, white-majority schools. Kgololo Academy aims to give them – at least at primary school level – access to 'high quality education that doesn't focus on academics only' without having to leave their community, says the school's principal, Nelly Mhlongo. 'It brings a new, fresh air in our community to have a private school in a township,' agrees Phaladi's mother, Eva, who raises her son as a single mother in a house shared with his uncle, aunt and cousins. The fees of about 30,000 rands (RM6,962) per year, a fortune in one of the country's poorest neighbourhoods, are covered more than halfway by NGOs and private donors. Parents and grandparents scrape pennies together to afford the rest. To support the children, who face a myriad of challenges in a community plagued with unemployment and crime, the school has hired two psychologists and a social worker. 'It has been a game-changer' and many pupils now see the counsellors even for everyday issues, said Tolbert-Mbatha, whose own children are also enrolled at the academy. Unlike other prestigious private schools, the key to admission at Kgololo Academy isn't the child's academic prowess, but rather the parents' involvement. 'We can take any student, we cannot take any parent,' the founder said. 'They must create habits to help their kids be successful.' Before heading to their first-period isiZulu lesson, Banele Phaladi and his classmates warmed up with a lively game of musical chairs in the courtyard. The teachers here know how to make learning 'interesting and fun', the good-natured pre-teen said. Next year, Phaladi's commute to school will be very different: like 90% of Kgololo's learners, he has just been awarded a fully-funded ride to a prestigious high school. — AFP
Zawya
03-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa:Telkom strengthens its team with Batlile Phaladi as new communications head
Telkom has announced the appointment of Batlile Phaladi as the new group executive: Corporate Communication. Pivotal role 'With her extensive reputation management experience and strong leadership, we are confident she will play a pivotal role in strengthening our brand and advancing our strategic objectives,' says Mpho McNamee, group chief of Corporate Affairs at Telkom. Phaladi will lead Telkom's strategic communication efforts to solidify the Group's reputation and embed the One Telkom culture within the organisation. Her key responsibilities will include managing all corporate communication interfaces for the Telkom Group and developing strategies to enhance its brand equity. Additionally, she will drive proactive communication programmes for the Telkom brand, products, leadership, finance, and regulatory initiatives. Phaladi, who joined Telkom on 1 March 2025, comes from BASF, where she served as head of corporate communications for the Southern Africa region. Her responsibilities included aligning business strategy with communication initiatives, driving cultural transformation through communications actions, and overseeing corporate communications. Prior to BASF, she held roles at Shoprite Group and Sappi Limited, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the company's global social media and digital communications strategy. At Shoprite, she successfully led the social-media customer engagement team and was part of the team that managed the online reputation of the group and its auxiliary brands. Driving initiatives ''Telkom is an established ICT leader with a deep pedigree in our country, and a reputation as the largest integrated communications company in Africa,'' says Phaladi. 'I am honoured to have joined this great organisation. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the Telkom Group's success by driving its initiatives through impactful and effective communication,' she explains. Phaladi holds a degree in Media and Journalism from the University of the Witwatersrand, a Business Management qualification from Regent Business School, and an MBA from Wits Business School. She was recognised as one of the Mail & Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans in 2021. ''Batlile is an exceptional individual – on a professional and personal level. We welcome Batlile to the Telkom community and look forward to her valuable contributions in driving impactful engagement both within the organisation and across our external stakeholders,'' concludes McNamee. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
