Shaka Sisulu

Founding member of Cheesekids, Shaka is a media technologist who possess a well-rounded knowledge and experience of business models, functions and processes. He is analytical with effective problem solving ability he also possseses high energy levels which keep people highly entertained.

Founder: Cheesekids for Humanity

Shaka Sisulu is the perfect example of how much good you can do when you use your privilege for the benefit of society. In continuing the legacy of the great Sisulu family, 32-year-old Sisulu is an Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellow, sits on the advisory council of the Public Sector Excellence Awards and the boards of both LoveLife and the Foundation for a Safer South Africa. Plus, he’s “The Big Cheese” — the incredible guy behind Cheesekids for Humanity.

In 2007, after building houses through Habitat for Humanity, Sisulu and his friends found themselves wanting to do more. In formalising their growing volunteer “movement”, Sisulu created Cheesekids as a fun, accessible political platform for youth to give back. With the tagline “Love, peace and mo’ cheese”, Cheesekids enables like-minded, privileged youth (those who have “cheese”) to pay it forward to those less fortunate through a range of programmes, from painting classrooms, building houses and cleaning gardens to spending time with children who “need love”. And Sisulu’s approach — making community service “cool” — is working: of Cheesekids’ 8500 member volunteers, half come back to help. And they bring friends.

Putting his postgraduate diplomas in management and business administration from the Gordon Institute of Business Science and his experience as a business incubator to good use, Sisulu is making even “mo’ cheese”. By providing a platform for corporate social responsibility programmes, he’s turning Cheesekids into a sustainable model and an incubator for projects members wish to activate.

Sisulu also hosts regular late-night talk shows on 702, writes columns for Destiny Man and has just published his first book, Becoming. In it, he suggests what he would like to see happen in South Africa and how we can achieve the great things it is known for; the things his family fought for.

THE YOUNGSTERS

A fresh, entertaining series of pocket books that feature prominent young South African voices worth listening to.

The Youngsters series explores topics of interest to the youth, ranging from hair weaves to discovering who you are and what you should do with your life, as well as issues of race and gender, love and sex in the time of social networks, the music and radio industries, comedy, empowering yourself and more … The series shares the naked reality of being a youngster in South Africa and helps you to make sense of it all.

The Youngsters is edited by bestselling author and award-winning journalist Mandy Wiener.

‘There is a poetic justice to life because we are the sum of our experiences.’ – Shaka Sisulu

Grandson of anti-apartheid stalwart Walter Sisulu, CEO of non-profit organisation Cheesekids, creator, dreamer, father and devoted Afrikan, Shaka Sisulu discusses heritage, BEE, inspiration, leadership, legacy and how you can carve your own destiny in the African soil in Becoming.

Contact details:

Facebook: Shaka Sisulu

Twitter: @ShakaSisulu