Masakhe 02_DIGITAL PAPERTURN - Flipbook - Page 20
something in the UCT water that
brings out the best in collaborative
learning.” Edwin went back years
later to complete a Master’s in
Development Policy and Practice
through UCT’s Nelson Mandela School
of Public Governance. “Much like my
experience in CEM,” says Edwin, “it
was the faculty, the small cohort, and
the shared sense of purpose that
made the programme so meaningful.”
After being awarded a public
sector bursary from the KZN
Department of Public Works, Edwin
was placed in a two-year graduate
programme in the private sector.
He had just completed his Honours
degree in Property Studies when
he began working with leading
professionals in the property and
project management space. The
graduate programme ended, and
Edwin entered the public sector fulltime. “While the choice was shaped
in part by the terms of the bursary,
it turned out to be more than just
an obligation,” he says. “I saw the
public space as one of purpose
and potential – a place where small
improvements can ripple outwards
and change lives.”
Edwin spent 12 years working in
administration in the public sector
and was able to gain valuable insights
into the system that keeps South
Africa running. He has experience
working in both the KwaZulu-Natal
and Western Cape Departments of
Public Works, as well at the City of
Cape Town and the Eastern Cape
Development Corporation. These
appointments allowed him to see the
governing system from the inside,
ISSUE 2
noting its strengths and weaknesses,
while also recognising its enormous
potential. Eventually, Edwin made
the decision to move into policy after
recognising that he could enforce
greater change if he started engaging
with issues on the level of policy
rather than just administration.
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