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Not giving up: Determined engineering student, 28, sells recyclable plastic to finish his studies
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Not giving up: Determined engineering student, 28, sells recyclable plastic to finish his studies

by  Kelly Lippke 2 min read

- Sam Mangena is a mechanical engineering student at UJ

- He lost his NSFAS bursary, but donors stepped in

- However, he has to sell recyclable plastic to buy food and help his family back home

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A mechanical engineering student is so determined to finish his studies that he sells recyclable plastic to raise money for food.

Sam Mangena, 28, already holds a national diploma in engineering, Briefly.co.za gathered. He subsequently gained admission to the University of Johannesburg.

However, he failed some of his second-year modules in 2014, lost his NSFAS bursary and was removed from the university residence.

Sam Mangena during his interview inside his shack. Source: SABC
Sam Mangena during his interview inside his shack. Source: SABC

Despite this setback, a determined Mangena didn't give up. He managed to secure donor funding to continue his studies.

Additionally, he built his own shack in the Booysens informal settlement in Johannesburg. The young student also started collecting and selling recyclable plastic to get money for food.

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Mangena sells recycled plastic to make ends meet. Source: SABC
Mangena sells recycled plastic to make ends meet. Source: SABC

Speaking to SABC, Mangena said he also sends some money back home:

I buy food for myself this side and also send some money back home so that my mom and siblings can have some support.

Although it's a daily struggle that includes walking 5km to campus, he is determined to qualify.

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Mangena also has to walk 5km to university. Source: SABC
Mangena also has to walk 5km to university. Source: SABC

Mangena's fellow student said his commitment to his studies has inspired him:

Some students fail, not because they don't study, but because of their backgrounds. At times, you find that you're not able to study because you slept on an empty stomach.

Despite his challenges, Mangena takes it one day at a time.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Kelly Lippke avatar

Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.

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