In July this year, 50 alumni sat down to dinner at Pielows Restaurant in Dublin with Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, and the South African ambassador to Ireland, Her Excellency Ms Yolisa Maya.

With just over 200 known alumni in Ireland, it was wonderful having almost a quarter of them meet for the first time, not just us as the alumni team but also each other.

The ambassador opened the evening for us and the following is taken from her speech: “I would like to commend Stellenbosch University for reaching out to its alumni on a global scale. I was informed that this is part of a broader initiative to reach out to former students all over the world. Already it is clear that there are valuable lessons for us, both as a country and as the embassy in Dublin, to learn from this interaction."

She encouraged the former students to move out of their comfort zones and make contact with each other, especially as they all find themselves in a foreign country:

“[W]e need each other more than ever before as we seek to rebuild our country and re-energise the economy, which remains stubbornly stagnant," she said. “In that context, as you get ready to engage further and reflect, I would like to appeal that you please seriously consider partnering with us in the following areas:

• Developing and implementing a strategy for optimising our South African diaspora dividend (including people, knowledge and finance that have left the country for various reasons) and for persuading our brains and young talent to stay connected to South Africa and return home to plough back, add value and encourage their peers after their forays into the world.
• Changing the narrative about our country out there, wherever we are, by speaking positively about the country. This means working hard to find what unites us, even if you have to dig really deep right now!
• Sharing your thoughts on how to help implement our president's and government's good intentions and strategies while making the dreams of our youth a reality – most importantly by sharing your experiences on how meaningfully to ensure ease of doing business to attract investments, trading partners and tourism."

It was a pleasure having not only the ambassador in attendance but also Prof De Villiers, having spent the day visiting a few alumni on a one-on-one basis.

In October 2019, we'll be launching a Dublin Maties Hub. If you want to be part of this hub or volunteer to be part of the planning team, contact me at [email protected].