Affiliations Committee/Candidates/2024/Bobbyshabangu


Bobbyshabangu (talk meta edits global user summary CA)

Preferred name
What languages do you speak, and at what fluency level? (Please include your English proficiency.) en, ss, zu, rn, st, xh, id and I'm quite fluent in all of them with ss being my mother tongue.
What region(s) of the world do you have experience with, and what kind of experience do you have? (“Experience” can mean you have lived or worked there or are currently living or working there; you’re familiar with the culture and language; etc.) I'm a South African, currently living in South Africa but I also lived and studied in Indonesia hence I can speak Bahasa Indonesia.
What Wikimedia project(s) do you actively edit? And in what language(s)? ss, rn, en, zu, xh, meta, Wikimedia commons, Wikidata.
What affiliate(s) are you actively involved with? In what capacity are you involved? Do you serve in a leadership role or have you in the past? I served as Wikimedia ZA president for 5 years and I continue serving in that board.
Have you served on any committees (movement-related or otherwise)? And what was your role on the committee(s)? I'm an advisor to a number of UG including Wikimedia Botswana, Wikimedia Rwanda, Wikimedia Namibia. I also serve as chair of WikiIndaba Steering Committee and have provided advice to a number of African communities both affiliated and un-affiliated through that role.
Please describe any experience you have with conflict resolution and/or consensus building. The South African community as well as the community in the African continent with which I continue to serve is diverse, different in views, culture and beliefs. As President of Wikimedia South Africa and WikiIndaba Steering Committee (WISCom), I facilitated discussions among diverse volunteers, often with differing perspectives. I have over the years find out that active listening playes a key role in mediating disagreements and fostering mutual understanding to maintain a productive and inclusive atmosphere. People wants to be heard, also I've also made sure that I judge situations fairly without taking sides, many times by way of voting.
In your ideal world, what does the affiliate model and ecosystem look like? To me the affiliate model and ecosystem consisting of Chapters, Thematic Organizations, and User Groups is working well to support Wikimedia’s mission of free knowledge dissemination. Also, this model provide an opportunity for affiliates to organise themselves and for WMF to interface with communities in an organised manner.
In your ideal world, what are AffCom’s roles and responsibilities in relation to the movement and affiliates? AffCom’s role is to oversee the recognition, development, and accountability of Wikimedia affiliates, ensuring alignment with the movement's mission ( of free knowledge dissemination) while supporting their growth and fostering collaboration within the global Wikimedia ecosystem.
What role within AffCom are you most interested in: advisory or voting member? Voting.