Durban - Trading his shovel for a corporate suit is what former Folweni gardener Bongani Mtolo will do on Monday when he starts work as a bookkeeper.
The qualified accountant became a social media sensation this week when his former boss, Luyanda Sikhakhane, started a campaign to find him a job.
Mtolo said it had been so hard to find a job that he had worked as a gardener and painter to earn an income.
There were thousands of calls from South Africans, who wanted to help him realise his dream of being an accountant. Mtolo, who has a child, chose a job offered by Calvin and Family Group where he will work as a bookkeeper in uMhlanga.
“This is a new start for me and I am grabbing it with both hands. I am now able to start a new chapter in my life.
“I remember applying to all the accounting vacancies and waited eagerly for a response, but I never got one. Despite the heartbreak, I was determined to keep my passion alive,” said Mtolo.
The 26-year-old has had a diploma in accounting since 2011 and a BTech in cost and management accounting since 2012 from the Mangosuthu University of Technology.
He told the Sunday Tribune he had been on his way to get lunch inside the house as Sikhakhane was helping her brother with his accounting homework.
When he offered to help, she laughed, but she told him to give it a try.
“She was surprised that I was able to help her brother and said I should pursue it professionally. That was when I told her that I was qualified. Initially she was shocked but has been supportive ever since,” said Mtolo.
He had worked part-time for Llitha Research and Management for two months. Mtolo did the odd job to help support his family, working as a painter on weekdays with his friends, and as a gardener at weekends.
On what he intends to do on his first day in his new job, he says he wants to give it his best shot and work hard at this opportunity.
And he doesn’t want to stop there. The shy youngster wants to further his studies in accounting so that he can become a professional cost and management accountant.
His advice to youngsters who are in the same boat that he was in: “Never give up on your dreams, but never stop living either.
“If there are challenges and it is hard to find a job, keep trying, and persevere to reach your goals.”
The director of Calvin and Family Group, Calvin Mathibeli, said he had read Mtolo’s touching story on Facebook, then met him to offer him a job.
He said he had faced the same hardships as a youth, and could relate to Mtolo’s story.
“I started an initiative called 5 years 5 000 jobs that aims to create employment for young people. Our company is big on social development and to see a young man like Bongani showing so much dedication and hard work in building himself was really inspiring. He will be an asset to our company,” he said.
Sikhakhane said his story had touched a nerve for her because she had found it hard to get into engineering despite having a qualification. “I am so excited for him. This is a step forward for him and his future,” she said.
Sunday Tribune