Pretoria - Watch out Cape Town! The Mamelodi “double-trouble” is heading your way.
Twins Bonolo and Koketso Rakgalakana have managed to get a leg-up towards their goal of pursuing careers in the built environment at an institution of their choice.
The 18-year-old girls have chosen the University of Cape Town, where Bonolo will be studying mechanical engineering and Koketso chemical engineering.
And they are not shy to “brag” that they managed the feat through working hard, staying focused and keeping their eyes on the prize.
“We worked really hard throughout the year and always assisted each other, especially on subjects one of us struggled with. We always studied together and made sure we gave full attention to all subjects,” Bonolo said.
The pair, from Mamelodi Secondary School, held their township and City flag high, getting seven distinctions each and catching the eye of officials from the Department of Public Works and the City of Tshwane, who gave them financial backing to further their studies.
They were among 30 pupils awarded departmental bursaries, something both they and their parents said was a gift they could not have anticipated. They were also among the 30 matriculants honoured and given R5 000 by mayor Solly Msimanga this week.
Their parents said they were extremely proud and, beaming from ear to ear, spoke of the achievements of the two children, who have two siblings.
The parents said they knew all their hard work would pay off. “They worked really hard; they attended school from Monday till Sunday. We sometimes missed church just so we could drop them off at school whenever they needed to be there,” their father Lehabe said.
He believed his daughters were able to obtain such good marks owing to their dedication and the support from home and school.
Rakgalakana said that when he discovered his daughters had received a bursary, he had just paid registration fees for Bonolo at the University of Pretoria. He also planned to do the same for Koketso at the University of Witwatersrand.
“It was literally an hour later after I had paid when I got the message. I just thanked God for the good news because I was stressed thinking about the finances, especially after seeing the amount needed for accommodation,” he said.
The bursaries were awarded to pupils interested in studying for careers in the built industry at
R130 000 per student per year. It covers tuition, accommodation, meals, textbooks, academic resources and monthly allowances.
Saying passing with distinctions was an expectation as they had worked tirelessly throughout the year, the super enthusiastic duo told the Pretoria News actually seeing their results was a shock.
“We both got the same academic average score,” Koketso said.
“During the year we got the same levels on all subjects but never the same average, so that came as a surprise,” she added.
The twins said they were very excited and still in disbelief to have been chosen among other hard working and deserving pupils: “I felt that I was very fortunate because I know a lot of people wanted the bursary,” said Bonolo.
Meanwhile, her twin sister said the bursary was a weight lifted off her shoulders. “I know it is very expensive, looking at the fees, accommodation and textbooks, so when I heard we got the bursary I was very happy that my parents will not have to stress about us,” she said.
They said they could not wait to start their classes and aimed at finishing their qualifications in record time. Their degrees require four years' study.