Siphosethu
My name is Siphosethu and I’m 21 years old. I live in Philippi, and I went to Cape Town High School. I joined Ukhanyo in 2020.
“it may seem like you are in a dark place and there is no way through, no light at the end of the tunnel. the things that seem impossible are the ones that you should try. challenge yourself to be a better version of yourself”
For me, one thing that made my matric year difficult was the travelling. I attended in Cape Town high school and I lived in a township, so I came home from school very late and the time to study was very limited because the next day I used to wake up early in the morning. At home, I didn’t have my own room to study so I used to go to the library and it closed early, so it cut my studying short.
When I got my results after I wrote matric I was so disappointed I told myself I wanted to make myself proud. I happened to come across a website on facebook called Ikasi Tutors that prepare students to write matric and then I joined the Ikasi tutor foundation, but in terms of paying, sometimes I would pay late, or couldn’t pay because of finances at home. The tutor at Ikasi knew Sandi, so he connected me with her, because she was going to pay for my fees. I didn’t need to stress about having money for tuition fees. SO that’s how I got to know Sandi and joined the Ukhanyo foundation, because of my finances at home were not so great.
The second time around, I didn’t have textbooks and that was a challenge for me because what’s the point of me doing grade 12 for the second time if I don’t have books to study. So that was the challenge for me, be4cause my parents could not afford to buy me books. SO Ukhanyo foundation provided me with books, so that I could do better and be able to study. It also provided me with money for transport to classes.
Now, I’m waiting for my results, I’m wondering if I worked hard enough to get into university. Last time I was so disappointed in myself, I’ve got mixed emotions. I want to do something with my life and change my life and the circumstances at home.
Nowadays, you can’t find work without matric because even the jobs that we undermine, like cleaning, or being a domestic worker often require matric. It is very important, it’s a big deal to have matric because without it you cannot do anything, you cannot find a proper job to put food on the table for your family or even to make something for yourself. If you are in matric, focus, and just know that the second time you do matric you might face challenges, you might not even be able to complete it because of the circumstances like having money to buying textbooks or access to tutors. Doing matric for the second time is very expensive.
I want to be… I just know I want to be something. But for now, for a degree, I applied for nursing because `I have that nurturing nature as a person. I love helping out. But for the future, I want to have businesses, like owning properties. I want to do something.
My advice is that it is not the end of world, I know it may seem like you are in a dark place and there is no way through, no light at the end of the tunnel. I just want to say, the things that seem impossible are the ones that you should try out and you will see maybe it will be amazing, you could surprise yourself. Change your mindset, don’t say you are dumb, just challenge yourself to be a better version of yourself.
