A son of the impoverished township of Alexandra is the new head of the Reserve bank of South Africa.
Lesetja Kganyago takes over from current governor, Gill Marcus, when she relinquishes her post at the end of October after her five-year stint. Kganyago, born in Alexandra’s 9th Avenue in 1965, was appointed to his new post by President Jacob Zuma.
He has been the deputy to the incumbent for sometime. Kganyago left the township in 1993, but still has relatives, a nephew and two cousins, living in the same property that he grew up in and occasionally visits.
His last visit to Alex was to Minerva Secondary School about a year ago to speak to the beneficiaries of the Vincent Tshabalala Trust, of which he contributes to on a monthly basis and participates in the annual golf fundraising event.
Kganyago did not school in Alex, as he left the township at the age of five for his parental home village of Moletjie in Limpopo. He returned to Alex in 1983 and briefly attended Wits University for his BCom degree, which he completed with the University of South Africa.
On his opinions on the state of the township now and then, Kganyago said there has been significant changes since the advent of democracy as development is a continuous process. “The solution for most of the ills and improvement of the township lie with the youth taking advantage of the education opportunities available to them.
“The parents must take an active role in the education of their children. They must check their children’s homework, attend parents’ meetings and assist the teachers in instilling discipline in their children.”
