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Thabo Jerry - SRC Community Engagement Councillor (Profile)
by Jason Joseph

18 year old g11 studying a Bachelor of Arts in Law, Politics and Anthropology, Thabo Jerry Sheshoka is ready to show his worth in position of SRC Community Engagement Councillor. Thabo a fluent young gentleman has a passion for people, community and histories.

“Because my subjects are for socio-economic rights,” says Thabo, “my subjects help better my understanding of people and what is going on” and help in the role of Community Engagement Councillor. “Community engagement is basically to interact with the people,” says Thabo “to basically take the knowledge we have and to disseminate it into the community – to parpahase Dr. Badat – The role of community engagement is to interact with the people and help them so they can help themselves,” and Thabo wishes to add in his own words “for the community (outside Rhodes) to stop viewing us as the other.”

Thabo is concerned with “forming a bond” he says, for all to see that “we are all human, not the other ... Rhodes students also need to stop seeing the community as less human,” and othering them as well.” For Thabo it is about “interacting and building and doing anything to get involved with the community”.

Some of what Thabo has planned for the forthcoming year is firstly “to carry on where Boipelo (Bonokwane – Thabo’s predecessor) left off... we need to stop wanting to reinvent the wheel,” says Thabo, “I want to build the car now.” There are plans to fund soup kitchens by working with the Ubuntu Women’s Forum, Amnesty International and other societies. Plans for a Back to School campaign – “which is linked to many other things” – have been set in motion too. What Thabo has in mind is to have projects that “have a ripple effect onto other things,” albeit a gradual effect. Thabo seeks to “establish something to build on ... (where) we can pull together to work together.”

As part of his own community engagement prior to being appointed Community Engagement Councillor, Thabo was involved at Ntabamaria as an English tutor to grade 6 students. “I only missed two sessions with them” Thabo says, and that was only because he was bed-ridden sick or out of Grahamstown on SRC business, “but I hope to work with them again next year,” Thabo says.

“I’m generally shy, but I enjoy engaging,” says Thabo, “I enjoy helping people and starting random conversations” and that is how many people will say they actually met Thabo. Community engagement helped teach Thabo how to “build stronger relations ... and the kids where really amazing,” says Thabo, “you don’t realise just how much people appreciate the little that you do (with them, for them).” Community engagement “makes me happy,” says Thabo, “it makes you forget about your own problems,” says Thabo, “it’s a great opportunity to build long lasting relationships.”

“Community engagement offers an opportunity to grow as an individual,” says Thabo, “an opportunity to surround yourself with people that aren’t the same as you; an opportunity to meet new people and have fun.” Had it not been for his community engagement experience “I would never have gotten to leave the (Rhodes University) bubble,” Thabo says, “there is life beyond Rhodes and you get to see life from a different view.” Thabo says “I wanted adventure, to meet new and different people” and that is what community engagement afforded him.

“Community engagement shouldn’t be taken as a task,” Thabo says, it’s about coming with an “open mind and open heart (to) learn things you will never get from any lecture.” Thabo says anyone who want to get involved with community engagement will have him “jump(ing) to help them ... it’s just that thing that you gotta experience.”