FK Fellow Blog – Mandla Matuare, Zimbabwe

The good thing about my fellowship being in South Africa was that it is familar ground. I studied and lived in Cape Town for a combination in 6 years so even though i hadn’t been to Pretoria in a while, i had a good idea of what to expect when i got here.

It has been a busy month. From the 15th of May when i arrived up to now. It didnt take too long to get settled in and familiarise myself with the surroundings, transport routes etc. Getting to meet the staff at Idasa was assisted by the ‘Bosberaad’ (or strategic planning week) as well as ‘the day in the park’ that helped us get to know people much more quickly.

Getting introduced to project managers and other key members of staff is what then began the process of getting involved in work and seeing where best i could fit in and make worthwhile contributions. It has been good to get involved in different areas of the organisation and the learning never ends.

I look forward to the next few months and gaining positively from my fellowship.