Learn from leading alumni and friends of the University of Pretoria (UP) on this podcast. From titans of business to innovators in science and the humanities, prominent voices from the UP family across disciplines describe where their journey has taken them since their time at Tuks – and they offer tips on what helped them achieve their success. We are now in our fifth season, but make sure to click through to our older episodes on the right.
Listen now or download for later, via your favourite podcast app, or on YouTube.
Viwe Mkizwana is an award-winning bassist, composer, arranger, musical director and educator. He has performed around the world, plays with the likes of the Gauteng Philharmonic Orchestra and MIAGI Orchestra, and has released three albums. He has picked up SAMA nominations, a Mzantsi Jazz Award, and two Naledi Awards. He continues to push the boundaries of African jazz.
On this episode, he speaks to us about:
- How he fell in love with jazz music.
- Convincing his family that going into music was the right path for him.
- How his university studies have helped him grow as a musician.
- The message behind his latest album, ‘Black Child’.
- Managing the business of making music.
The LeadUP Podcast gives members of the University of Pretoria community and the broader public access to prominent University of Pretoria alumni and alumni associates, who share their top tips for success, and the stories behind their own climb up their industry ladder. This university podcast aims to ensure a global audience has access to South African and African thought leaders.
Download, listen and subscribe to the LeadUP Podcast today – find us by going to www.up.ac.za/alumni/podcasts. Listen and subscribe here or on your favourite podcast app on your mobile device, or find us on YouTube. Help us out by rating and reviewing us. New episodes will be released on the last Tuesday of May, July, September and November 2025.
Yolana Du Plessis-Martin, who is now an Engagement Manager at Deloitte Consulting in New York, was a promising young swimmer at the University of Pretoria’s TuksSport High School and its first Head Girl in 2006. When an injury dashed her Olympic dreams, she had to rethink her ideas of the future. A move abroad later, she graduated cum laude from Villanova University in Pennsylvania with majors in Global Interdisciplinary Studies and Political Science, while also competing as a Division 1 student athlete on the varsity swim team. On this episode she speaks to us about:
- Learning resilience as a young swimmer.
- How she dealt with losing her dream of going to the Olympics.
- Learning to deal with pressure and focus on joy.
- Taking a leap and moving overseas.
- How her ideas of success have evolved.
Find us by going to www.up.ac.za/leadup and clicking on Podcasts. To listen, you can stream, download, and subscribe online or on your favourite podcast app on your phone. Help us out by rating and reviewing us. New episodes are out on the last Monday of the month.
LeadUP is a production of the University of Pretoria’s Alumni Office. Our host is Lennox Wasara and our team includes Elna Schütz and Samantha Castle. Our sound engineers are Louis Cloete Productions.
WIN A TWO-NIGHT WEEKEND STAY AT GARDEN COURT HATFIELD
Listen to any episode of the LeadUP Podcast to enter our competition before 20 September 2022, and you could win a two-night weekend stay at Garden Court Hatfield. For details of how to enter, listen to any episode in the series now. The full terms and conditions for the competition can also be found here.
Known as ‘Mr Deadline’, Dr Perekeme Mutu moved to South Africa from Nigeria to pursue his studies, and worked multiple jobs – including as a security guard and a car washer – to fund his academic career. His perseverance paid off handsomely when he completed two degrees at the same time, including his Doctor of Philosophy (Law) from UP. He is currently a researcher at the Centre for Child Law and a post-doctoral fellow with UNESCO Education Law in Africa, at the University of Pretoria.
On this episode he speaks to us about:
- Transitioning to and adapting to life in South Africa.
- The hard work he put into all sorts of jobs to pay for his studies.
- Aiming higher regardless of the challenges you face.
- How he measures success.
- What else lies ahead for him.
Find us by going to www.up.ac.za/leadup and clicking on Podcasts. To listen, you can stream, download, and subscribe online or on your favourite podcast app on your phone. Help us out by rating and reviewing us. New episodes are out on the last Monday of the month.
LeadUP is a production of the University of Pretoria’s Alumni Office. Our host is Lennox Wasara and our team includes Elna Schütz and Samantha Castle. Our sound engineers are Louis Cloete Productions.
WIN A TWO-NIGHT WEEKEND STAY AT GARDEN COURT HATFIELD
Listen to any episode of the LeadUP Podcast to enter our competition before 20 September 2022, and you could win a two-night weekend stay at Garden Court Hatfield. For details of how to enter, listen to any episode in the series now. The full terms and conditions for the competition can also be found here.
We kick off the second season of the podcast, which speaks to University of Pretoria (UP) alumni about their experiences of success, with Nozipho Tshabalala, CEO of The Conversation Strategist. Tshabalala works with big brands globally to help shape their strategies and work. She has been an award-winning journalist and has worked with CNBC Africa among others. She also completed her Honours in International Relations at UP.
On this episode she speaks to us about:
- How she defined her own role in business and transitioned into it.
- Making significance and impact her metric, rather than success.
- How her mother influenced her to believe in herself.
- What makes a great story and storyteller.
- How she learned to use her own sense of agency.
Find us by going to www.up.ac.za/leadup and clicking on Podcasts. To listen, you can stream, download, and subscribe online or on your favourite podcast app on your phone. Help us out by rating and reviewing us. New episodes are out on the last Monday of the month.
LeadUP is a production of the University of Pretoria’s Alumni Office. Our host is Lennox Wasara and our team includes Elna Schütz and Samantha Castle. Our sound engineers are Louis Cloete Productions.
WIN A TWO-NIGHT WEEKEND STAY AT GARDEN COURT HATFIELD
Listen to any episode of the LeadUP Podcast to enter our competition before 20 September 2022, and you could win a two-night weekend stay at Garden Court Hatfield. For details of how to enter, listen to any episode in the series now. The full terms and conditions for the competition can also be found here.
Professor Tawana Kupe is not only Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria, but a big fan of the LeadUP Podcast!
In this special episode to wrap up this first season of the podcast, Prof Kupe reflects on some of the highlights of our previous interviews with UP alumni, and shares his own experiences of leadership.
On this episode he speaks about:
- His ‘why’, and the purpose guiding him.
- The importance of reflection as a leader.
- The privilege of being a leader and bringing energy to the role.
- Bringing power and kindness to your leadership style.
- What he’s busy reading.
Subscribe to the LeadUP Podcast today – click here to find LeadUP Podcast in your favourite podcast app, or go to www.up.ac.za/LeadUP and click on LeadUP Podcast. New episodes are out every second Monday.
LeadUP Podcast is a production of the University of Pretoria’s Alumni Office. Lennox Wasara hosts the podcast, and our team includes Elna Schütz and Samantha Castle. Louis Cloete Productions provides sound engineering services
WIN A TWO-NIGHT WEEKEND STAY AT GARDEN COURT HATFIELD
Listen to any episode of the LeadUP Podcast to enter our competition before 20 September 2022, and you could win a two-night weekend stay at Garden Court Hatfield. For details of how to enter, listen to any episode in the series now. The full terms and conditions for the competition can also be found here.
Deepa Sita is the Chief Financial Officer at Tiger Brands, after holding similar roles at the likes of Mondelēz and Makro. She grew up working in a family business that she then took over after her father’s death.
She is a qualified chartered accountant and holds an MBA (Cum Laude) from the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).
On this episode she speaks about:
- Falling in love with being a chartered accountant and making good business decisions.
- Taking over the family business under difficult circumstances after her father’s death.
- Why failing her board exam turned out to be a positive turning point in her career.
- Why she surrounds herself with people that would be good enough to take over her job.
- Being willing to do something you don’t yet know how to do.
Subscribe to the LeadUP Podcast today – click here to find LeadUP Podcast in your favourite podcast app, or go to www.up.ac.za/LeadUP and click on LeadUP Podcast. New episodes are out every second Monday.
LeadUP Podcast is a production of the University of Pretoria’s Alumni Office. Lennox Wasara hosts the podcast, and our team includes Elna Schütz and Samantha Castle. Louis Cloete Productions provides sound engineering services
WIN A TWO-NIGHT WEEKEND STAY AT GARDEN COURT HATFIELD
Listen to any episode of the LeadUP Podcast to enter our competition before 20 September 2022, and you could win a two-night weekend stay at Garden Court Hatfield. For details of how to enter, listen to any episode in the series now. The full terms and conditions for the competition can also be found here.
Andries Levi Pretorius is a serial entrepreneur, from selling candy floss as a student, to innovating in the real estate industry. He completed his BCom Honours in Finance & Entrepreneurship at the University of Pretoria while running a leading confectionery business called Willmor Candy Co.
He later co-founded an extraordinary property investment group, WeBuyProp, and is currently the head of strategic partnership and growth at LeadHome.
On this episode he speaks about:
- Enjoying the thrill of entrepreneurship from a young age.
- Some of the problems he’s faced and solved, including selling candy floss to students.
- Being led by a big-picture vision.
- His struggle to reconcile his entrepreneurial spirit with a previous corporate role.
- How entrepreneurship isn’t as sexy as it might look on social media
Subscribe to the LeadUP Podcast today – click here to find LeadUP Podcast in your favourite podcast app, or go to www.up.ac.za/LeadUP and click on LeadUP Podcast. New episodes are out every second Monday.
LeadUP Podcast is a production of the University of Pretoria’s Alumni Office. Lennox Wasara hosts the podcast, and our team includes Elna Schütz and Samantha Castle. Louis Cloete Productions provides sound engineering services
WIN A TWO-NIGHT WEEKEND STAY AT GARDEN COURT HATFIELD
Listen to any episode of the LeadUP Podcast to enter our competition before 20 September 2022, and you could win a two-night weekend stay at Garden Court Hatfield. For details of how to enter, listen to any episode in the series now. The full terms and conditions for the competition can also be found here.
Dr Coceka Mfundisi is the first woman to receive a Master of Medicine in Neurosurgery degree from the University of Pretoria. She now practices as a specialist neurosurgeon at Busamed Modderfontein private hospital, and has interests in neurotrauma, neuro-oncology and spinal surgery.
Her notable achievements include being a member of the Golden Lions Rugby Club Medical Committee, serving as a test match surgeon during international rugby matches. She is currently a member of the Health Professions Council of South Africa’s Fifth Medical Committee of preliminary enquiry. She is also a member of the executive committee of the Society of Neurosurgeons of South Africa.
On this episode she speaks about:
- Having the temperament of a surgeon.
- How farming fields alongside her family as a child helped her as a young surgeon.
- Fusing traditional African medicine with Western medicine.
- Not quitting on the way to her dreams, and being supported in her journey.
- Injustices in her field, and fighting for change.
Subscribe to the LeadUP Podcast today – click here to find LeadUP Podcast in your favourite podcast app, or go to www.up.ac.za/LeadUP and click on LeadUP Podcast. New episodes are out every second Monday.
LeadUP Podcast is a production of the University of Pretoria’s Alumni Office. Lennox Wasara hosts the podcast, and our team includes Elna Schütz and Samantha Castle. Louis Cloete Productions provides sound engineering services
WIN A TWO-NIGHT WEEKEND STAY AT GARDEN COURT HATFIELD
Listen to any episode of the LeadUP Podcast to enter our competition before 20 September 2022, and you could win a two-night weekend stay at Garden Court Hatfield. For details of how to enter, listen to any episode in the series now. The full terms and conditions for the competition can also be found here.
Dion Shango started with global professional services firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers soon after graduating with a BCom Financial Accounting from the University of Pretoria over two decades ago, and became PwC's Africa CEO in 2019.
On this episode he speaks about:
- How his community of colleagues and women-led family have shaped his success
- Creating a strong and positive culture in a large company
- Building trust externally and internally as the bedrock of PwC’s business
- Staying and growing with PwC for his whole career
- What he hopes his legacy will be
Subscribe to the LeadUP Podcast today – click here to find LeadUP Podcast in your favourite podcast app, or go to www.up.ac.za/LeadUP and click on LeadUP Podcast. New episodes are out every second Monday.
LeadUP Podcast is a production of the University of Pretoria’s Alumni Office. Lennox Wasara hosts the podcast, and our team includes Elna Schütz and Samantha Castle. Louis Cloete Productions provides sound engineering services
WIN A TWO-NIGHT WEEKEND STAY AT GARDEN COURT HATFIELD
Listen to any episode of the LeadUP Podcast to enter our competition before 20 September 2022, and you could win a two-night weekend stay at Garden Court Hatfield. For details of how to enter, listen to any episode in the series now. The full terms and conditions for the competition can also be found here.