A final-year law student at North-West University (NWU) Potchefstroom Campus has been chosen for the 2025 Siyaphumelela Scholars programme, a national initiative focused on student success and leadership in higher education.

Musa Bizani and four other students from the University of Cape Town, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, University of the Witwatersrand and University of the Western Cape will attend the Siyaphumelela Conference at the Indaba Hotel and Conference Centre in Fourways, Johannesburg, from 8 to 11 July 2025.

“This programme aligns with the kind of leadership and communication skills I’ve been working to refine as a student leader and aspiring legal practitioner,” says Bizani. “It’s also a space where I can help represent the NWU student voice in national conversations about student success.”

Coming from a previously underrepresented background, he aims to show how a combination of institutional support and student activism can lead to academic progress and institutional transformation.

“I want to share how holistic engagement through leadership, mentorship and community involvement has shaped my university experience,” he says. “It’s not just about helping students survive university but about building systems where they are empowered to thrive.”

The Siyaphumelela Scholars programme is an experiential learning initiative aimed at developing leadership, higher-order thinking, and interpersonal communication. Through the programme, Bizani hopes to strengthen his ability to advocate for social justice and prepare for his intended LLM studies next year.

“The ability to communicate clearly and with purpose is essential in both legal and academic environments,” he says. “This programme is a tool that will help me become more effective in those spaces.”

If selected by the Achieving the Dream (ATD) panel, Bizani could also participate in the DREAM Scholars programme and represent South Africa at the DREAM 2026 conference in Portland, Oregon in the USA, from 2 to 6 March 2026.

 Musa Bizani will represent the university at the 2025 Siyaphumelela Conference in Johannesburg as part of the Siyaphumelela Scholars programme.