Durban - A TAXI driver from eSikhawini, near Richards Bay in northern KwaZulu-Natal, has become an inspiration to his colleagues in the taxi industry after he graduated with a business diploma from the Durban University of Technology (DUT) recently.
Despite challenging circumstances, Bhekinkosi Shandu, 37, graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Business and Information Management from DUT.
Shandu grew up in Vutha village near Mandeni and was raised by his mother, grandmother and uncle after his father died when he was a young boy.
After he matriculated he had to look for a job as there were no funds for him to go to university.
“I moved in with my aunt and her family in eSikhawini and soon after I got a job in retail, it wasn’t long after that I lost that job but I managed to get a weekend job working for an events decorator.
“I saved money from that part-time job to pay for a driving licence. When I passed the driving licence test, I looked for a job as a taxi driver,” he said.
Shandu worked as a taxi driver from 2011 and in 2013 he was hired by a man he affectionately calls Baba Buthelezi.
He said he became a taxi driver as a means of survival, and little did he know that the taxi would drive him to his breakthrough, and that one day he would have to park the taxi for three years to pursue a new chapter as a student.
He said he stumbled upon information about bursaries and National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) while driving women from his village to a career expo where graduates spoke on stage about their experiences.
“One of the graduates said something that touched me, they spoke about how they received an opportunity to study almost 10 years after they had matriculated.
“In that moment I realised that not all hope was lost for me.”
Shandu said at that event there were information tents providing career guidance and he approached one of them and learnt that he could apply for NSFAS. He applied to study at various institutions and also applied for funding through NSFAS.
In 2017 he was accepted at DUT and also received funding from NSFAS.
He said he had people ask him whether he would be able to grasp school work at his age and that brought on doubt for him too. However, he said he got support from senior students who had done the same course as him.
He said when he told his boss that he had been accepted to study at the Pietermaritzburg campus, he (Baba Buthelezi) thought it was great news.
“He told me that I should go, I will find my taxi waiting when I return.”
Shandu said Buthelezi made sure that he drove the taxi himself for the three years that he was studying.
“Baba Buthelezi was very supportive, even during university holidays he gave me the opportunity to drive the taxi for extra income.”
When he completed his diploma in 2020, DUT couldn’t host a graduation ceremony because of the Covid-19 pandemic. That pushed Shandu to enrol for an advanced diploma to further his studies until they could graduate at an in-person ceremony.
He said since the classes for his advanced diploma were virtual, he was able to continue driving full-time.
Shandu is determined to use his qualifications to start his own business.
“Unfortunately, because of my age it is not easy to get an internship, so I don’t have work experience, but a group of students I was in university with have formed a group and we are looking to go into business together,” he said.
Shandu encouraged people to not give up on their dreams, adding that career guidance should be made available in rural areas.
“I didn’t know that I could study without money and having that information changed my life.”
DUT senior director for corporate affairs Alan Khan said the institution was happy to hear that it had helped make Shandu’s dream of furthering his studies come true.
“We wish him continued success and good fortune in the years ahead.”