The Mandela Rhodes Foundation Scholarship (2025)

The Mandela Rhodes Scholarships programme is a combination of financial support for postgraduate studies and a high quality Leadership Development Programme, with the intention of building exceptional leadership capacity in Africa.

Vision

The central purpose of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation is to build exceptional leadership capacity in Africa (whilst also seeking to foster better reconciliation and entrepreneurship) through its various programmes and, to this end, aims to be the leading protagonist in Africa for such endeavours.

We do this in the firm belief that, in the words of our Founder and Patron, Mr Nelson Mandela, “…the work of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation will substantively contribute to a better life for the people of South Africa and further abroad on the African continent…”

The Mandela Rhodes programmes will develop leadership and vocational capacity across African society, to help the continent achieve success and prosperity and full equal participation in the global world. They will constitute ‘History At Work’, extracting from past legacies to help Africa succeed in the 21st century. The Scholarships Programme will be the main focus for the foreseeable future.

Mission

Whilst in pursuit of this vision, we recognise that we have a variety of stakeholders with different needs and expectations. The Mission that The Mandela Rhodes Foundation undertakes for each of these stakeholders is as follows;

• For the donors, who empower and endow the MRF, we endeavour to provide an efficient and professionally managed and governed enterprise which serves as the vehicle and conduit to deliver the jointly-desired social impact indicated by our vision and purpose.
• For the Scholars and other programme participants, we strive to support and build the leadership and intellectual capacity that is needed in order for the MRF to have the kind of social impact that we seek to attain in our vision.
• For the communities, from whom we source our Scholars and for whom we ultimately seek to deliver social benefit, the MRF undertakes never to forget the purpose for which we exist and, in so doing, we pledge to work tirelessly and with accountability so as to maximise the impact that we seek to enable through those whom our programmes empower.
• For our related charities and Foundations (e.g.: The Rhodes Trust, the other ‘Mandela’ Foundations), with whom we share common heritage, we strive to act collaboratively as needs be and in ways that mutually enhance our respective endeavours and build our collective reputation.
• For the staff who work on delivering the outcomes of the MRF, we strive to offer an inspiring and rewarding opportunity for them to be key players in the delivery of that enabling work that is needed to bring the lofty objectives of our vision into being.

Introduction

The Mandela Rhodes Foundation is a unique partnership seeking to close a circle of history for the benefit of current and future generations of Africans. It brings together the 20th century legacy of Leadership and Reconciliation embodied by Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, and Cecil John Rhodes’s 19th century legacy as it relates specifically to Education and Entrepreneurship.

The overarching mission of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation is to build exceptional leadership capacity in Africa, by providing excellent educational and training opportunities to individual Africans with leadership potential; as well as by creating over time a network of well-rounded leaders of talent, effectiveness and integrity across African society.

The Mandela Rhodes Scholarships are intended as a vehicle for the sustainable and practical expression of the aim to provide exceptional educational opportunities, develop a network of leaders, and thereby help to build leadership capacity in Africa.

The Scholarships programme will seek candidates who identify with the values set out by Mr. Mandela and Mr. Rhodes; as well as demonstrating the characteristics set out separately in the document: The Characteristics Sought in a Mandela Rhodes Scholar.

What follows is an expansion, intended in the first instance to provide clarity for members of the Mandela Rhodes Scholarships Selection Committees, on each of the four ‘legacy categories’ to which the Mandela Rhodes Scholarships programme is intended to give practical expression.

The timeline

• March: Applications open on Tuesday, 14 March 2024. Candidates can add recommenders on the platform and begin uploading their documentation and working on their personal essays. See ‘requirements’.
• April: Applications close by the end of Thursday, 20 April 2024. No late or incomplete applications will be accepted under any circumstances.
• June: You will be notified by the end of June whether or not you are through to Round Two.
• July: You will be notified by the end of July whether or not you are through to Round Three.
• August: You will be notified by the end of August if you are invited for an interview in the Final Round, or if you have been unsuccessful.
• October: Interviews will be conducted in South Africa in October. If you are in the final round and you are based outside South Africa, you will be flown in for an in-person interview with our selection committee. You will be notified by the end of October if you are selected as a Mandela Rhodes Scholar.
• October-December: Selected Mandela Rhodes Scholars must do their best to secure acceptance at their university of choice, and their study visa for travel to South Africa in January.