Wikimedia Foundation elections/2025/Candidates/Bobby Shabangu
Bobby Shabangu (Bobbyshabangu)
Bobbyshabangu (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
| Candidate details | 
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| Candidate video statement | ||
| Total word count for the whole application (required + optional questions) is 2500 words. | ||
| Have you read the minimum candidate requirements and verified you meet the minimum qualifications and the candidate eligibility requirements? | Yes | |
| Have you read the candidate guidelines and agree to abide by the guidelines? | Yes | |
| Required questions | ||
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| Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about? | I believe my extensive experience in the Wikimedia movement, particularly in promoting underrepresented content and small language Wikis from the African continent makes me understand challenges and opportunities from particularly the global South Communities. Coming from a diverse country like South Africa ( with diverse languages, economic make up and a constitution that is focused on human rights) enables me to understand the unique challenges and opportunities faced by contributors from underrepresented regions as well as those from the global north regions.
I'm looking to learn from the skills and talent that comes with other colleagues from the board, especially as the movement navigates through the era of AI. | |
| Please describe your Wikimedia experience (such as contributions to the Wikimedia projects, memberships in Wikimedia organizations or affiliates, activities as a Wikimedia movement organizer, or participation with a Wikimedia movement ally organization). | I contribute on different South African languages and projects including en, ss, zu, xh, st, Wikimedia Commons, Meta, Wikidata and had been an admin for Siswati and IsiNdebele in the past.
I enjoy listening and talking to people, and I enjoy learning or teaching a new skill, and this is demonstrated by my community outreach activities which far exceed my actual edits. I am currently leading the SWiP project, where we visit various universities across the country to teach Wikipedia to scholars and students. The project dashboard can be seen here. Over the years, I have conducted numerous roadshows with different mission-aligned institutions to raise awareness about the lack of African content on Wikipedia, activate new users, and increase African content and South African languages. Please see my contributions in the Wikimedia ZA Chapter activity reports here. As a leader, I have served on the board of Wikimedia ZA. I also chair the WikiIndaba Steering Committee (WISCom), which organises the WikiIndaba conferences and has played a pivotal role in addressing unique challenges faced by African Wikimedians and providing solutions. Additionally, I co-founded Afrika Baraza, a platform for Africans to connect, collaborate, and share skills across the continent, and I've also actively participated in the development and implementation of the movement strategy 2030 especially in the African continent through facilitating the Movement Strategy Salons. | |
| From your perspective, what should the Wikimedia Foundation be prioritizing over the next 3-5 years, and why do you see these as the most important priorities? | I believe the Wikimedia movement operates in a rapidly changing environment. When we began with the Movement Strategy 2030, AI was not a consideration. Moreover, the outlook of the community, especially in the global South, has evolved significantly. We've seen exponential growth of new contributors in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, from the 10 Recommendations of the 2030 Movement Strategy I think in the next 5-10 years we should prioritise: | |
| Please describe your experience with governing bodies of organizations (nonprofit or for-profit), mentioning the scope of your responsibilities, as well as the complexity of the organization (in terms of scale of operations, budget, number of people involved, or other meaningful measures) and the size of the board or body. | Wikimedia South Africa: : I served on the board of Wikimedia ZA first as a board member and now as the president, where I help drive initiatives to support and grow the local editing community. Additionally. I've learned over the years that an effective leader gets things done, for the first time since I've taken reigns as the president of Wikimedia ZA, we have been able to generate income and resources outside of Wikimedia Foundation grants from our fiscal sponsorship activities, membership subscriptions/donations and partners which has given us the freedom to sponsor some of our community members on different activities, as well as think about investments.
The African Continent: I also chair the WikiIndaba Steering Committee (WISCom), which is responsible for organising the WikiIndaba conferences and has played a pivotal role in addressing unique challenges faced by African Wikimedians. Additionally, I co-founded Afrika Baraza, a platform for Africans to connect, collaborate, and share skills across the continent. My roles within WISCom and Afrika Baraza have enabled me to lead the drafting of the WISCom Charter, a white paper which aims to transform WISCom from a de facto hub to a fully-fledged organization and the African Agenda a document that I believe will advance the Movement Strategy 2030 in Africa, ensuring it remains inclusive and representative of diverse voices from the global South. In the movement: I participated at the Wikimedia summit and was part of the first people to actively contribute to the Wikimedia Movement Strategy. | |
| Questions from the Community (required) | ||
| These questions were sourced from the community. These questions are required to consider your application complete. If this section is not complete by 23:59 AoE, July 8 (11:59 UTC, July 9), your application will not be considered. | ||
| How do you plan to ensure transparency and accountability in your decision-making processes as a member of the Board of Trustees? | I believe that as it stands the board is doing great work in sending representatives to conferences and meetings to talk about the work of the board and what it does. There's also an update sent now and then at Wikimedia-L to give a headsup on what the boad does. There are also meeting In this regard, I shall not change much of what they do but will join to be one of those who hosts meeting hour or join Africa Baraza to talk about what the board does. | |
| What will be the first new issue you would like to bring to the attention of the Board for discussion, and how would you approach it? | The first issue I would like to bring to the attention of the Board — though I’m sure it is already under discussion — is the Wikimedia Foundation’s position on the use of large language models and attribution thereof. While there are many ongoing conversations within the community, I believe it is important for the Foundation to take a clear and considered stance, whether temporary or permanent.
In many parts of the world, especially where English is not a first language, tools like ChatGPT have become valuable for editors. I have seen firsthand how it helped contributors improve their writing on English and French Wikipedia, which in turn has led to a reduction in article deletions due to language quality. A formal position from the Foundation would help guide contributors and affiliates on responsible and constructive use of these tools in line with our values. | |
| How should decisions about trade-offs and prioritisation in Wikimedia technology or product areas be approached? Please explain what the trade-off is in your view. | In my view, the central trade-off lies between innovation and inclusivity. I think on one hand, the we need to evolve technologically — keeping pace with user expectations, ensuring platform security, and integrating tools like machine learning responsibly. On the other hand, the Foundation must ensure that these advancements do not alienate communities with limited connectivity, older hardware, or less technical expertise.So, I think prioritisation should consider three main criteria:
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| The number of Wikimedia affiliates has grown significantly over the past few years, but ensuring adequate resourcing can be a challenge. Given this, how might we rethink the movement ecosystem, including how affiliates are evaluated, engaged, and resourced? | Indeed, I think we need to adopt tiered or needs-based support frameworks. This would allow emerging affiliates to receive capacity-building support, mentorship, and flexible funding, while more mature affiliates could be evaluated on strategic alignment, innovation, and scalability of their work.
I also like the multi-year funding approach adopted by WMF because it enables affiliates to plan long-term and focus on meaningful impact rather than short-term deliverables. I however think that this can be strengthened by collaborative resource mobilization and capacity-building around local fundraising or partnerships. | |
| As the Wikimedia Foundation's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position transitions, what qualities do you believe the incoming leader should embody, and how would these contribute to the advancement of the Wikimedia movement? | I think the incoming CEO must understand and respect the decentralized, volunteer-driven nature of Wikimedia. They should be a good listener who values community input and understands that leadership in this context means empowering rather than directing. A strong commitment to knowledge equity, free knowledge, and the movement’s 2030 strategy is essential.
Also, I would be great to have a CEO with experience working across diverse cultures and geopolitical contexts. I also think they should recognize the varied realities in which Wikimedia projects operate and ensure that global priorities do not come at the expense of local relevance. | |
| Optional questions - Professional Experience, Skills and Education | ||
| These questions are optional. Responses will count towards the total word limit on your application. (Reminder: You will not have other opportunities to provide this information). | ||
| Please describe your professional career experience and relevance to board work. | Over the years I've played different roles. I was a secretariat for a government department (Department of Land Reform and Rural Development) sitting at the executive committee, I'm also a musician and I've worked at the UN as a knowledge Manager and currently at CGIAR as a project manager. | |
| Please describe how you handled, or advised others on, a complex problem in an organization. How did you work with others to address the situation? What was the change that resulted from your efforts? | The WikiIndaba conference was scheduled at the same time as the Wiki Francophone convention, which posed a significant problem since both conferences, along with Wiki Arabia, share participants. I reached out to the leaders of both the Wiki Francophone convention and Wiki Arabia, emphasizing the need for collaboration to organize the three conferences in a way that avoids date conflicts. | |
| Please describe your educational background, including degrees, certificates, and courses of study finished, and their relevance to board work. | I have a degree in Communications Science. | |
| Please add any relevant links describing your professional background, experience, profile (such as LinkedIn, staff page, etc.). | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-shabangu-76b309216/ | |
| Optional questions - Leadership Experience | ||
| These questions are optional. Responses will count towards the total word limit on your application. (Reminder: You will not have other opportunities to provide this information). | ||
| Please describe ways in which you have helped to form a bridge between multiple communities (such as by working on projects outside your home wiki, or working on a collaboration between multiple affiliates). | I have established a Southern African Community group consisting of Wikimedia volunteers from Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. We are actively seeking volunteers from Angola, Mozambique, and Lesotho to join our group | |
| Can you describe a policy, on wiki or off, that you helped to create or change? What did you learn from this experience? | In South Africa there is no Freedom of Panorama, which means that we can't take pictures and videos or public art. I'm part of the Wikimedians who lobbyed government to adopt copyright reform and sign the copyright amendment bill into law. As a results government conducted countrywide consultations with communities and stakeholders on the Bill which I was part of. Currently the Bill is in the president's desk to be signed into law. | |
| How have you been able to empower people to make their voices heard? | I’ve consistently worked to ensure that voices from underrepresented communities—particularly from the Global South—are included in strategic conversations. Whether through my contributions to the Movement Strategy 2030, the Affiliations Committee, or regional planning processes, I’ve advocated for participatory dialogue, multilingual access, and localized engagement. This has helped community members feel more confident in sharing their views, even when they felt distant from global decision-making structures. | |
| Can you describe how you have demonstrated the ability to guide others in solving problems, adapting to change or achieving goals, particularly at a leadership or management level? | In my role as president of Wikimedia ZA increased engagement across different language communities and built trust with both new and existing volunteers. I was particularly focused on inclusivity—ensuring that smaller language communities felt seen and supported in their projects. Through collaborative problem-solving, we were able to secure more partners, increase the languages and content.
I worked closely with host teams across the continent, ensuring alignment with movement values and providing mentorship and support where needed taking into account language and cultural sensitivity. | |
| Optional questions - Strategic Thinking | ||
| These questions are optional. Responses will count towards the total word limit on your application. (Reminder: You will not have other opportunities to provide this information). | ||
| Please describe your experience participating in or leading an organization in planning for its future. How did your work contribute to picking the right path for the organization? | I think this question puts me in a perfect spot to apply to sit on the board. Besides the fact that I'm coming from a disadvantaged region, I've actually experienced all the challenges that African and people from the global south are experiencing because I've experienced first hand all the common challenges experienced by volunteers from the Global South.
I believe I will be that dissenting voice that brings a global South voice to the board while also keeping in mind of the existing structures. Hence the Ensuring Equity in Decision Making is one of the key priority areas from the Movement Strategy. | |
| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
Eligibility:  Verified
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Identification: Verified Verified by: – NahidSultan (WMF) (talk) 05:00, 16 July 2025 (UTC) | |