Francesca Villette
HE LOOKED up to students who woke early to make it in time for classes, and wondered if he could make it at university as well.
Mzomhle Kiza, 22, from Mfuleni, said he admired those in his community who rose above their difficult financial circumstances to study and take themselves out of poverty.
While in high school, he vowed that he make it as a doctor, and four years later, he is not watching from the sidelines anymore.
Kiza attends lectures at Stellenbosch University’s medical school, and only has two years to go before he completes his six-year degree.
“The Cape Times bursary has carried me for the last four years, and I cannot express my thanks enough,” Kiza said.
The Cape Times Bursary Fund, which is administered by the Association for Educational Transformation (Asset), has since 1982 supported around 500 deserving students from disadvantaged communities.
The average pass rate last year was 94 percent. This year, the fund supports 33 students.
Kiza grew up in a single-parent home and said he always knew his mother would not have money to put him through university.
“I looked up to the students in my community – those who left early for school and came home after dark. After a while they moved out of the area and bought their own homes. I asked myself, ‘what is stopping you from being like them’, and my answer was, ‘nothing’.”
Similarly to Kiza’s story, Lukhanyo Shude, 24, from Delft, conquered many hardships to enroll at university.
He thanked the Cape Times Bursary Fund for giving him a ‘kick-start’ in life.
Last year Shude completed his National Diploma in dental technology at Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
He is now doing his BTech in the same field.
“The first thing you see when you meet a person is their smile. I have a passion for improving the health, hygiene and aesthetics of people’s teeth. My mother is a domestic worker, who only works two days a week. Someone told me about the Cape Times bursary, and I applied. I was very happy when I heard I was successful.”
Asset executive director Robbie Gow-Kleinschmidt said students who showed a need for the bursary were given preference. “It is amazing to see what students can achieve if they are given an opportunity.”
To donate to the Cape Times Bursary Fund, contact fund chairperson Les Williams on 021 685 3746, or email [email protected]
@FrancescaJaneV