To change the world, we must help people change how they see things, and if you want to see real change, stay persistent in educating humanity on how we are all more similar than different. When one reads this, the director of Academic and Office Solutions at the North-West University (NWU), Andiswa Msi, immediately comes to mind. When you walk into her office, her beaming smile and positive aura are a very welcome sight.
Andiswa grew up in Bhaziya, a village in Mthatha, in an education-oriented household surrounded by strong women.
“I come from a family of four girls, and we were raised by my mother, a strong and strict woman, to be strong women.”
After she matriculated from Dalindyebo High School, she was not entirely sure what she wanted to do next. She decided to enrol for and study towards a food service management diploma. Even though she graduated with merit, she was not content because this was not her calling.
She was always fortunate academically and applied for the Nelson Mandela Rhodes Scholarship, and that is when she got the opportunity to complete her postgraduate studies as well as her MBA.
She went on to join Woolworths SA, where she worked as a planner and change manager, and that is where her passion for project management and IT-related systems started.
With good fortune on her side, she had various job roles until she joined the NWU’s IT department as the first black female director of Academic and Office Solutions.
A passionate humanitarian who loves helping others, she firmly believes that when you want to help people and see them succeed, you always need to challenge yourself to do more.
“I evaluated myself at the beginning of 2022 and told myself that I have been operating at a certain level and need to hit a higher note. I did not know what it would be, but I knew I was ready.”
She then joined the NWU and wants to make a difference and impact her own life and the lives of people around her.
She is a firm believer in counting one’s blessings, being grateful for each day, and that every morning reminds us of how blessed we are. She is, therefore, very passionate about working with the youth, especially when it comes to coaching and mentoring.
“The youth go through a lot these days, and they face many challenges, and if I can spend my time making sure that they get clarity – be it on issues like black tax or career development, or even their business goals – then I am happy to assist,” she says enthusiastically.
Apart from steering the affairs in her department, she is a published author of three books and a chairperson of the Board in one of the department Institutions of higher learning. She is also a Founder of Kupanda Africa; a non-profit organisation focused on igniting the culture of Education, Social Entrepreneurship, and Improvement of livelihoods in Africa.
She describes herself as a creative person and enjoys playing golf, painting, and sewing when she is not a mom to her three kids.
Andiswa is still actively involved with her work on the issues close to her heart – community engagement and mentoring, coaching and encouraging the youth to fulfil their boundless promises – and she is optimistic about her plans for her future.
Through her initiatives for empowering, developing, and helping others, coupled with her proactive, compassionate, committed, and resilient character, she is a role model for young women and attributes this to her childhood foundation, which her sisters and strict mother guided: they excelled and achieved everything they set their minds to.
Andiswa with the Minister for Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni – Abrahams during a Women’s day commemoration in Rustenburg where she was invited to speak on Education, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
