Durban - His childhood may have been turbulent and he lives in a humble township home but that didn’t stop Mfundo Radebe from chasing his dreams. And now he has caught up with them and stands on the cusp of a new life.
The 18-year-old, who travelled to school (Crawford College, La Lucia) from his J-section home in Umlazi by taxi every day, has been awarded a full scholarship to study at Harvard University in the US for the next four years.
When the national debating champion and recent overall winner of the Magna Carta international essay writing competition heard he had been accepted as a student at the world renowned university, he was overwhelmed.
“I started to scream and run around the house with excitement,” he said, beaming.
“I ran to my mum, Nobuhle Zwane, and once she figured out what I was on about, she started screaming with excitement, too,” the delighted youngster explained.
Radebe loves politics and he is so well versed on local and international government issues that his friends, family and teachers have nicknamed him “Mr President”.
His four-year scholarship will afford him the opportunity to complete a degree in government and African studies, which is similar to a political science qualification, said Radebe, who has just written his matric.
“Politics has always been my passion.”
Radebe said the contrast in scenery when travelling from his Umlazi home to the more affluent suburb of La Lucia was something hoped he would be able to help change when he was a politician some day.
“Positive politics can close the gap, and that’s my life’s mission,” he said.
Radebe rates the acceptance to Harvard as a huge stepping stone to a golden future in which he will be able to help improve the lot of the poor and marginalised in our country.
“It is also the affirmation of the faith many people had in me and it is a show of defiance towards my status quo of being a township teenager,” he said.
Radebe’s ride from childhood to adulthood has been a bumpy one, and a true test of his tenacity.
His mother had to drop out of school in her matric year when he was born and it has always been a struggle for her to provide the best care for son. There came a point when Radebe had to live with his estranged father’s family in Northern KZN.
“The abuse I received there forced me to move back to Umlazi, where I stayed with my grandparents for a time, and I attended Addington Primary School.”
Through hard work at Addington, Radebe was able to secure a bursary for the next level of his education at Northwood in Durban North.
As his intellect developed in high school, Radebe yearned to become a Crawford College pupil. He knew his teacher stepfather, Lucky Zwane, and his mother, who works as a nurse, did their best, but they could never afford the fees at Crawford.
“I have always felt that if I want to get to the point where I can make a difference in South Africa, then I would need to get the best education possible.”
Radebe said from Grade 9 he constantly wrote letters, seeking a full scholarship at Crawford, and never gave up even though he was refused assistance many times.
Luckily, he met Cathy Constable, the personal assistant to Principal Jenny Coetzee at Crawford La Lucia.
“She (Constable) believed in me and encouraged me to continue applying each time I was rejected, until I eventually got a scholarship from Crawford to study in Grade 11 and 12.”
“At Crawford she became like a second mother to me and continued to inspire and motivate me.”
Commuting daily to school was taxing for Radebe and because he was made a prefect and was involved in a number of committees, it resulted in many extra-curricular activities and duties.
“On numerous occasions Cathy would let me stay at her home so that I could attend appointments. She treated me as one of her own children. I’m very grateful to her for all she has done to support me,” Radebe said.
Constable said she was very proud of what Radebe had achieved, especially since he was “a gentle soul who wanted to make a difference”.
Winning the Magna Carta essay writing competition in London was a huge accomplishment for Radebe, Constable said.
Radebe said he stumbled upon the Magna Carta competition while surfing the internet and he submitted his essay on how he would rewrite the laws of South Africa, with just two hours to go before the deadline for entries.
His entry beat all the rest submitted by pupils from Africa and he got called to the final in London, days before the start of the matric exams.
There he appeared before a panel of judges, including professors from Harvard and Cambridge Universities, and other top British academics, and explained to them how he would solve Africa’s problems.
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The best thing about winning was when my tearful granddad, Thokozani Radebe, who accompanied me to London, said: “I never thought I’d see my grandson becoming an international champion.”
Sunday Tribune
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