Proud of erudite citizen
This Regents Park resident is currently a director of political administration for the City of Johannesburg, where he serves as the head of department of political administration.
THE South has been blessed to have Luyolo Mphithi (25), who wants to use his ability and strength to give back and nurture the people of the South.
Luyolo, who lives in Regents Park, exudes life, happiness and contentment. He calls the South his home.
“I know there are some negatives in this area; however, for me, this will remain the best place to live. That is why I want to help young boys to succeed in life,” he says.
One of the projects he wants to undertake is to donate suits to job-seekers. Luyolo recalls the first time he went looking for a job. “It was difficult. I lived with my domestic worker grandmother in a back room; I know how difficult it is for a young man to thrive in those circumstances. That is why we need to rise up,” notes Luyolo.
You need passion
He thinks there are two things in life that will set you apart from the rest, namely passion and networking. “There are opportunities out there; however, if you are not exposed to them, your horizon will be limited. Young people need to have a passion for what they want to do but, most importantly, they need to network, share ideas and seek information.
“I remember when I left school, I told my mother she would never have to pay any fees for my education. There are bursaries, scholarships and other help out there – we must use them to better ourselves,” explains Luyolo.
He is currently a director of political administration for the City of Johannesburg, where he is the head of the Department of Political Administration. He has over five years’ experience in both the public and private sectors in South Africa.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science, international relations and law, as well as a joint Honours degree in international relations and political science from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), where he is currently studying towards his Master’s degree in public administration. Luyolo also holds a certificate in political formations and structures from the International Academy of Leadership (IAF) in Gummersbach, Germany; a certificate in research methods from Bowdoin College in Michigan, US; and a certificate in public management from Syracuse University in New York, US. He also holds the award for the third Most Influential Young South African (2017).
Only the best
Throughout his career, Luyolo has been awarded a number of accolades, such as the Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Scholarship, the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship and the Mandela Washington Fellowship (Barack Obama’s flagship leadership programme). Luyolo was named by Mail and Guardian as one of the top 200 young South Africans in politics in 2017. Furthermore, he was named by Avance Media as one of the 100 most influential young South Africans of 2017.
He is a graduate of the Democratic Alliance’s Young Leaders Programme and has served in numerous roles in the DA, such as Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (Daso) leader at Wits in 2012 and as provincial Gauteng deputy chair for DA youth in 2012.
Recently he was elected as a member of the DA’s federal council to represent the Johannesburg region.
More work history
Luyolo served as a city councillor for the City of Johannesburg and previously represented the constituency of Meadowlands and Soweto. He also served on the public safety and environment committee, as well as the infrastructure and services committee. Previously, Luyolo worked as a research and communications officer for the Mpumalanga provincial legislature, where he did research on co-operative governance and traditional affairs (CoGTA), human settlements, public works, roads and transport and public safety, security and liaison.
His duties also included supporting the caucus with writing speeches, motions, questions and press statements. Luyolo has previously worked as a consultant for multiple institutions, including Executive Research Associates, The Hanns Seidel Foundation, Wits University and the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco).
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