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Students’ Role in Establishing the North Campus Business Incubator: A Decolonial Praxis in Higher Education by Siyamdumisa Vena



Abstract

In 2022, as SRC Premier of North Campus at Nelson Mandela University (NMU), I contributed to student-led discussions that led to the 2023 establishment of the North Campus Business Incubator. This initiative was not merely an entrepreneurial effort but a decolonial project aimed at challenging Eurocentric knowledge systems and neoliberal dominance in higher education. Informed by scholars such as Dr. Thobekani Lose, Dr. Bernard Sebake, Dr. Pedro Mzileni, and Prof. Nomalanga Mkhize, this article examines students’ agency in this transformation, positioning NMU as a potential model for global higher education reform.

Introduction: Framing the Crossroads

Nelson Mandela University (NMU), formed in 2005 from a merger of colonial institutions like PE Technikon, carries a dual legacy: a name synonymous with liberation and a structure still shadowed by coloniality (Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2013). In 2022, students at North Campus, myself included as SRC Premier, engaged in discussions that birthed the Business Incubator by 2023. This article explores this student-driven initiative as a decolonial praxis, blending theoretical grounding with practical action to address the neoliberal academy’s role in perpetuating economic and epistemic inequality.

Intellectual Foundations: A Decolonial Lens

The incubator’s conceptual roots lie in decolonial scholarship. Ndlovu-Gatsheni (2013) defines coloniality of knowledge as the enduring dominance of Eurocentric paradigms, marginalizing African epistemologies. Prof. Nomalanga Mkhize (2021) critiques this as a commodification of education, urging a return to African moral traditions over Western trends. Dr. Pedro Mzileni (2021) frames universities as spatial sites of colonial reproduction, necessitating student-led reclamation. Dr. Thobekani Lose (2023) adds an economic dimension, arguing that universities must foster entrepreneurship to combat unemployment—a call I echoed in advocating for youth skills in tools and machinery. These ideas, alongside Achille Mbembe’s (2016) epistemic disobedience, shaped our vision, grounding it in South Africa’s post-apartheid context.

The Genesis: Students as Catalysts

The incubator emerged from 2022 discussions initiated by Dr. Bernard Sebake, then Director of Student Governance and Development. Sebake convened student leaders in the SRC chambers at North Campus, sparking a collective vision to counter neoliberal hegemony. Dr. Lose, Manager of the Business Incubator, emphasized equipping youth for economic agency (Lose, 2023). As SRC Premier, I joined peers in these talks, inspired by Mzileni’s (2021) argument that student agency can transform university spaces. Our goal was clear: a space where African innovation could thrive, challenging the academy’s reliance on Western models.

Students’ Role: My Contribution in Mobilizing Societies

While the idea wasn’t mine, my leadership amplified student involvement. As SRC Premier, I coordinated North Campus societies—academic, cultural, and political—ensuring their voices shaped the incubator’s design. Under Sebake’s guidance, we refined the concept, drawing on his work on student leadership structures (Sebake & Jack, 2023). I advocated for practical training—youth mastering tools like tractors, welders, and solar kits—to align with Lose’s empowerment focus (Lose, 2023). This bridged theory and action, culminating in the incubator’s 2023 launch, supporting ventures like Madiba’s Ice Cream and creating tangible student-led impact.

A Decolonial Praxis: Impact and Innovation

By 2023, the incubator was operational, fostering businesses and jobs—early data from CfERI suggests over 30 ventures supported (Lose, personal communication, 2023). Beyond economics, it embodied decoloniality by prioritizing Afro-centric methods—training in tools and machinery rooted in communal needs, not profit alone (Mkhize, 2021). This diverged from Western incubators like Stanford’s StartX, reflecting a praxis Mzileni (2021) ties to Fees Must Fall’s legacy of informal transformation. Students, me included, didn’t just participate—we shaped a counter-narrative to neoliberal enclosure.

Sustainability: Challenges and Strategies

The incubator’s promise hinges on longevity. Prof. Mngomezulu’s call for policy renewal (personal communication, March 19, 2025) inspired our initial approach, but I pressed for more—mechanisms to prevent co-optation. Sustainability requires robust strategies: institutional partnerships with local industries for funding, as Lose (2023) suggests; student governance councils to oversee operations, per Sebake and Jack (2023); and ongoing skill audits to ensure relevance. Without these, the incubator risks becoming a symbolic reform rather than a sustained rupture.

Conclusion: A Model for Higher Education

The North Campus Business Incubator, forged through 2022 student efforts and launched in 2023, showcases the power of collective agency. Supported by Lose, Sebake, Mzileni, and Mkhize, it reimagines NMU as a site of epistemic and economic justice. Yet, its future demands commitment. Academics must refine its intellectual base, policymakers must fund its expansion, and students must defend its decolonialcore. This is not just NMU’s story—it’s a call to reframe higher education globally. 

Amandla Ngawethu!


                                                                                                                                                                       


References

• Lose, T. (2023). Business Incubation and Entrepreneurial Development in South 

Africa. ResearchGate. https://doi.org/[Insert DOI if available]. 

• Mbembe, A. J. (2016). Decolonizing the University: New Directions. Arts and 

Humanities in Higher Education, 15(1), 29–45. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/1474022215618513

• Mkhize, N. (2021). John L. Dube Lecture 2020: Decolonisation and the Limits of 

Current Discourse. CIHA Blog. https://www.cihablog.com/john-l-dube-lecture2020-professor-nomalanga-mkhize/

• Mzileni, P. (2021). Decolonisation as a Spatial Question: The Student 

Accommodation Crisis and Higher Education Transformation. ResearchGate. 

https://doi.org/[Insert DOI if available]. 

• Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S. J. (2013). Coloniality of Power in Postcolonial Africa: Myths 

of Decolonization. Dakar: CODESRIA. ISBN: 978-2-86978-578-6 

• Sebake, B., & Jack, S. (2023). A Trajectory of the Establishment of Madibaz 

YouthLab in Crystallising Student Leadership Development at Nelson Mandela 

University. ResearchGate. https://doi.org/[Insert DOI if available]

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