What does it take to leave behind a successful business career and commit yourself to transforming education?
In a thought-provoking episode of Fate, Luck & Choice, GIBS Business School professors Adrian Saville and Nick Binedell sat down with Sifiso Learning Group founder Dr Sizwe Nxasana to explore the experiences, opportunities and decisions that have shaped his life.
Dr Nxasana reflects on growing up in KwaZulu-Natal, attending boarding school in Lesotho and studying at the University of Fort Hare during the turbulent apartheid years. He also shares his journey towards becoming one of South Africa’s early Black chartered accountants, building a successful business career and ultimately choosing to devote the next chapter of his life to education.
A central theme throughout the conversation is the power of choosing discomfort. Dr Nxasana discusses the importance of stepping into uncertainty, continuing to learn and recognising that what may appear to be retirement can instead become the beginning of something new.
Confronting South Africa’s education crisis
The conversation turns to one of the country’s most urgent challenges: the quality of education available to South African children.
Despite ongoing interventions, learner performance in mathematics and science remains deeply concerning. Dr Nxasana argues that meaningful improvement will require more than short-term programmes or isolated solutions. It demands sustained investment in teacher development, stronger classroom practice and long-term collaboration across the education ecosystem.
Government, business, universities, civil society and educators all have a role to play in building an education system capable of preparing young people for an increasingly complex and technology-enabled world.
The discussion also explores the growing influence of artificial intelligence and why schools must equip young people not only to use emerging technologies but to think critically, solve problems and create solutions within their own communities.
At its heart, the interview asks an important question: can South Africa move beyond short-term interventions and make the long-term choices required to achieve systemic change in education?
Watch the full conversation to hear Dr Nxasana’s reflections on leadership, entrepreneurship, education reform and the choices that can shape both an individual life and a country’s future.
