A Samora Machel matriculant who passed with seven distinctions while studying in a two-roomed shack he shares with his parents and siblings has been offered numerous bursaries after a social media post of his story went viral.
Siphosethu Limane, 18, who completed matric at Sophumelela High School in Samora Machel, obtained distinctions in all subjects and a 100% pass mark in Physical Sciences.
Assistant teacher Sango Andrew Picane posted a picture of the pupil on Facebook, saying when he heard of Limane’s achievements, he felt compelled to assist.
“As much as he comes from a disadvantaged community of Kosovo in Samora Machel, he was able to pass all his subjects with level 7 including 100% for Physical Science. He has applied at UCT and would appreciate any type of assistance with bursaries or any type of funding,” Picane posted.
The post quickly racked up thousands of shares.
“I asked him about bursaries and he said he was still unsure. Then I posted on social media for anyone who can assist and with the power of social media, within a day there were so many offers.
’’He has now been accepted for actuarial sciences at UCT. I was posting to see if maybe one person can see this, but I was very surprised by the overwhelming notifications of people sharing and willing to assist,” he said.
Limane told the Cape Times yesterday he has been offered a number of scholarships and was to decide which one worked best for him.
“I have also applied for bursaries – I am still deciding. My family and friends helped and encouraged me a lot during my studies. Also my school and school programmes kept me focused and determined.
“I was shocked with the results because during the pandemic we were out of school for three months and we did not have enough time to prepare,” he said.
“I chose Actuarial Science to study because when I look at my personality and the qualities they are looking for, I see that I can fit in. My dream is to finish my degree and become a qualified actuary,” Limane said.
His mother, Zimasa Qayinge, said they were shocked when they received his results because of the difficult circumstances he had to study under.
“One of the biggest challenges is our community. It is not a conducive environment. It is overcrowded and has a lot of crime. He was also not free for study time, so it was hard,” she said.
“We are happy for the scholarship, because we are working off jobs and we were very worried that he won’t be able to fund his studies. We are extremely happy and we thank God,” she said.
Cape Times