By Lebone Rodah Mosima
As a recipient of the Nomzamo Lighthouse Foundation scholarship, Kopano Phukubye is preparing to attend the 2026 One Young World Summit in Cape Town, where she hopes to learn from leaders whose journeys reflect the possibilities she wants to create for young people in marginalised communities.
For the 24-year-old Tembisa-born social entrepreneur, the mission is personal: to bridge the gap between young people’s aspirations and the opportunities they need to realise their dreams.
Speaking to Inside Education, Phukubye said this vision inspired her to establish the uBunye Unity Foundation in 2026, an organisation focused on connecting young people with mentors and professionals who can help them navigate their chosen career paths.
Her motivation stems from growing up in a community where she felt she was rarely exposed to people or examples that showed her what was possible.
An emerging social-impact leader, Phukubye is passionate about youth development, education and mentorship.
She obtained a BA in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from IIE Rosebank College in 2025. She is also a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, which recognises academic excellence.
IIE Rosebank College is an educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE).
“What inspires the foundation in general is trying to bridge the gap and bring mentors, people that have already made it, to come and talk to the youth in the community,” she said.
Phukubye said she also works with brands to promote the foundation’s vision and build a wider community around its mission.
However, one of the biggest challenges since establishing the organisation has been reaching young people who have ambitions but limited access to opportunities.
“It is very easy to dream. But the main challenge is access to opportunities. There is no access to opportunities,” she said.
Through uBunye, she hopes to address this by connecting young people with professionals who can offer practical guidance, share their experiences and demonstrate that their aspirations are achievable.
She believes that seeing and speaking to someone who has successfully navigated a particular career path can make a significant difference.
“Yes, you could believe that one day I want to become a doctor, but it’s so much easier when you are talking to a doctor, and they tell you how they got there, how they failed, the obstacles, what helped them, and having access to them, you can talk to them, you can call them. That’s what we do at uBunye,” she said.
At the heart of her leadership philosophy is the belief that “there is no glory in being the only success story”.
Phukubye said this outlook was reinforced by her encounter with actress and philanthropist Nomzamo Mbatha, founder of the Nomzamo Lighthouse Foundation.
Mbatha’s commitment to returning to communities and empowering young people to believe in their own potential resonated with Phukubye, who sees leadership as an opportunity to create pathways for others.
“If you are not going to lower the ladder for others, so that they can come with you, what is the point? The whole point of my leadership style is to bring along the ones from where I come from,” she said.
She said hearing Mbatha share her own upbringing and experiences, as well as her commitment to uplifting others, strengthened this philosophy.
“Even with just meeting her, being in the same space as her, motivates this particular philosophy in my personal life,” she said.
As she prepares for the One Young World Summit, scheduled to take place in Cape Town from 3 to 6 November, Phukubye hopes to learn from people who have walked the paths she aspires to follow.
She also sees the gathering as an opportunity to find inspiration, exchange ideas and build networks that could help advance her work.
The 2026 Summit comes as South Africa marks 50 years since the 1976 Soweto Youth Uprising.
It will honour the legacy of the uprising while celebrating young leaders shaping the future through innovation, entrepreneurship and bold action.
Mbatha is among the keynote speakers and is expected to reflect on how her work in entertainment and humanitarian advocacy is driven by a purpose that extends beyond visibility.
For Phukubye, the experience will also reinforce a message she wants other young people to embrace: understanding their purpose is essential to navigating setbacks and pursuing opportunities.
She urged young people to identify their “why” and remain anchored to it, particularly when faced with failure or moments of self-doubt.
“It is going to help you be resilient and find yourself in rooms that you think you are not qualified [to be in],” she said.
She cautioned against allowing early setbacks to discourage them from pursuing their ambitions.
“It is very easy to get demotivated when you fail the first time. But failing doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road.
“As long as you stick to your why and remember your why every single time you fall, it will sustain you and help you get into those rooms,” she said.
Although uBunye is still in its early stages, with its work currently centred on Phukubye’s local community, she has ambitions to expand its reach beyond Johannesburg and South Africa.
Over the next five years, she hopes to take the foundation into more communities across the continent, particularly those where young people face barriers to accessing mentorship and opportunities.
Her vision, she said, is to build a network that continues to create bridges between marginalised young people and the opportunities they need to turn their aspirations into reality.
INSIDE EDUCATION
