Nokubonga Mbandzi has become the first person to obtain a PhD in the faculty of natural sciences at Walter Sisulu University.
Aged 30, she has fulfilled her mother’s dreams of education against the odds. Her grandfather forbade his daughters from attending school.
Port St Johns-born Mbandzi is the only graduate of six siblings and is one of the youngest PhD graduates at the university.
She was raised by a single mother and relied on her and her brother, Xolani, while studying.
Mbandzi said her mother had always preached the importance of education, so getting an advanced qualification meant she had honoured her mother’s dreams.
“We lost our father in 1999 and then things started to become tough at home.
My mother made sure we never quit school because she never got the chance to experience education, as her father did not allow girls to attend school
“My mother made sure we never quit school because she never got the chance to experience education, as her father did not allow girls to attend school.”
Her mother, Jabulisiwe Mbandzi, sacrificed much for them to attend school.
She would leave her children with relatives while she hustled for food and money to finance their studies.
“She would sometimes resort to selling food in the streets as a hawker.”
All this had been a motivation for her to study hard.
Mbandzi did her undergrad BSc in microbiology and zoology at the University of Fort Hare. Honours and masters in zoology at Fort Hare followed before the PhD achieved at WSU.
Mbandzi said her varsity life had been a quiet but determined journey.
Her initial PhD supervisor at Fort Hare was discouraging.
“The person who was mentoring me felt I was not good enough and decided I should stop and do an internship again or just leave the programme — he said I’d never finish it.”
So she quit Fort Hare and applied at WSU in 2019. She was accepted, but then things became more difficult.
“Everything was hectic. I was responsible for sustaining myself and providing at home when I could. And in the midst of all that I had moments when I felt I was not smart.”
But then she remembered she was doing what she was doing for herself and her family.
“I wanted to prove I was good enough and I was dedicated to my dream.
“I did not want to disappoint either myself or God, who had trusted me with the journey I had taken.
“All credit goes to my family, my friends and the second chance I received at WSU.”
DispatchLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.