Dr Nhlanhla Msomi (second from left) with representatives of the University of Sussex

Established at Sussex in 1973, Mandela Scholarships have supported over 70 students from Southern Africa, giving the young and the oppressed access to education without fear of racial persecution, and equipping them with the knowledge and skills to be able to return to their home countries and become leaders in their fields: scientists, environmentalists, development professionals and government ministers.

One of these young people was Dr Nhlanhla Msomi, South African research scientist, academic, corporate advisor and entrepreneur.

It was during the height of the apartheid era that 15-year-old Nhlanhla was arrested and jailed for student activism. Subsequently jumping bail, he fled his home, heading to comparative safety in nearby Swaziland. Having completed his A levels there he decided to return to South Africa so that he could further his studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He was soon forced to flee back to Swaziland, however, after realising that the secret police and apartheid authorities were still looking for him and that his life remained in danger.

It was during a visit to his old Headmaster (one of the few people that he could trust) that Nhlanhla’s life changed. Whilst there, he was introduced to a houseguest. A houseguest named Richard Attenborough.

Nhlanhla admitted:

“I didn’t know who he was but he told me that I could complete my studies at Sussex.”

Nhlanhla could not remain in Swaziland as he risked being hunted down by the South African death squads, likewise he had no money nor any access to funding to help him to leave. Sir Richard intervened and arranged his flight to the UK and the University of Sussex awarded him a Mandela Scholarship.

Getting Nhlanhla out of the country was not Attenborough’s final act of altruism in this story, however. Having nowhere to live when he arrived in the UK, he arranged for Nhlanhla to stay at his house in Richmond while he made alternative plans.

At Sussex, Nhlanhla studied Molecular Genetics, subsequently completing a PhD in Genetic Engineering. He recalls that one of the enduring gifts of his Sussex education was the opportunity to study History and Philosophy of Science alongside Artificial Intelligence. He maintains that studying the subjects together not only defined his professional career, they allowed him to contribute in a major way to the building of the new society in South Africa. Nhlanhla went on to play a key role in establishing a number of institutions and formulated new policies to create healthcare solutions, most notably for HIV and other infectious diseases.

Nhlanhla progressed to working in the private sector, co-founding a healthcare and biotech company. He fervently maintains that his experience at Sussex and the responsibility that being awarded a Mandela Scholarship placed on him has continued to define how he chooses his commercial priorities. He upholds that business should not simply be an instrument to create wealth; instead, it should empower people, especially those who are less fortunate.

Echoing Mandela’s oft-quoted observation that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, Nhlanhla explains that, in his opinion, the value of a Sussex education goes beyond academic learning. It extends to a way of life that propels individuals to become better human beings with a very good set of skills to make a difference in the world. He continues:

“That may be Sussex’s best tribute to the Mandela legacy.”

You can help us keep this revolutionary scholarship programme alive and give more young people from Southern Africa the opportunity to make a difference in the world by making a gift to the Mandela Scholarships programme via our secure online giving page or, for our US-based alumni, via the Friends of the University of Sussex.