The Rene England Auditorium was filled with warmth and old friendships on Friday, 6 June, as the Old Johannian Association hosted its annual dinner on the eve of Gaudy Day.
Sporting their Old Johannian ties, the reunion Classes of 1985, 1995, 1996, and 1997, along with Old Johannians spanning the decades, gathered as conversations flowed easily between career updates, family news, and fond memories of shared school days.
The evening was transformed into something truly memorable thanks to guest speaker Andisa Ntsubane (Nash 1993), whose deeply personal address resonated with everyone in the room.
A proud Old Johannian and current parent at the College, Andisa spoke with honesty as he took us back to 1982 — the year he became the first black child to walk through the gates of St John's. He was just seven years old. The son of a Transkei diplomat, living in Houghton during the height of apartheid, he described the feeling of being caught between two worlds: accepted by neither, isolated in both. The weekly brick attacks on his family's windows were a violent reminder of the contradictions of the time.
He shared how, in that difficult environment, sport became a lifeline, breaking down barriers through shared goals and a common purpose. When his parents returned to the Eastern Cape and Transkei ceased to exist, Andisa remained at St John's as a boarder, an experience he credits with teaching him the self-reliance and discipline that would shape his life.
The turning point in his story came through an experience in the jungles of Panama, where he found himself on a transformative retreat with fellow marketing leaders from around the world. Walking for six hours in complete silence through reforested land that had once been barren, he encountered the words that now guide his life and leadership. A conservationist named Nathan Gray, who had transformed hectares of desolate land into thriving rainforest, shared a simple but profound philosophy: "I'm trying to create something worthy of emulation."
Those words resonated with Andisa as a lens through which to evaluate not just business success, but life itself. How do we move beyond competing for market share and instead create something that others aspire to follow? How do we use our privileges, including the privilege of a St John's education, in service of something greater?
With over 25 years of experience spanning multiple industries and markets, from Standard Bank to Microsoft to Old Mutual, Andisa now serves as Managing Executive for Brand, Marketing and Communications at Vodacom Group Africa. He serves on global councils and chairs international juries at Cannes Lions, and has been recognised as a global CMO champion. The 'worthy of emulation' philosophy has become the guiding principle that shapes how he approaches his current role and leadership across the continent.
Standing before his fellow Old Johannians, Andisa challenged everyone to reject small thinking and safe bets. Africa, he argued, is not simply a place of problems, but of extraordinary possibilities, a continent of rich complexity and innovation waiting to unfold. His message was clear: to build not just successful careers, but lives and legacies worthy of emulation, a fitting aspiration for any Old Johannian.
