AUTHOR and chairman of Schindler Lifts South Africa, Nyimpini Mabundla, recently hosted a focus group session with learners from Hillcrest High School (HHS) to delve into aspects of business, share some of his personal journey and to inspire learners to “take charge” of their future.

Hosted by The Hillcrest High School Trust, in partnership with the HHS Honour Society, the session saw learners from the Commerce Department totally absorbed in Mabundla’s story, his growth and success, as well as his insights into his life and industry in South Africa. Then followed the questions – which showed the learners were not only invested in the session but had been inspired and motivated!

Writing to thank the school and learners for their participation, Mabundla said: “We were deeply inspired by the energy, curiosity, and thoughtful contributions from your learners. Their insights have added tremendous value to our work, and we are excited to incorporate many of their perspectives into the final draft of our upcoming book.”

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HHS Trust member, HHS Past Pupil and entrepreneur, Mbulelo Mandindi, who in conjunction with Teacher-In-Charge of the Honour Society, Shreshtha Ramsout, organised the event, also chaired the session, leading and guiding the engagement. Mandindi shared that part of building a business and a future involved being rooted in initiative, problem-solving, and small, consistent action. This included sharing some of his story of growth from being a learner at HHS to becoming a young business owner.

Following the engaging talks and Q&A session, the learners joined a focus group where writer, Jeremy Daniel, asked for inputs on style and content for the adaptation of Mabundla’s book, Take Charge into a teenage-friendly version titled, “Take Charge: Life Lessons on the Road to CEO”. Mabundla and Daniel donated a copy of their book, Take Charge, and other works written by Daniel, to the HHS media centre.

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