“He’s Really Determined”: Mzansi Moved by 30-Year-Old Man Reportedly Still in Matric in Limpopo
- A 30-year-old man is reportedly still doing matric at a public school in Limpopo, and thousands of South Africans have been moved by his story
- South Africans flooded the comments with encouragement and opened up about their own experiences of returning to school much later in life
- Nearly 22 million adults across South Africa still do not hold a matric qualification, which is exactly why stories like this one hit so close to home
Age is just a number, but try telling that to a man reportedly sitting in a matric classroom at 30.
Source: TikTok
A video shared on TikTok has caught the attention of thousands of South Africans, and the reaction has been anything but quiet.
The clip was posted on 2 April 2026 by content creator Du Ga Mese, using the handle @du.ga.mese. It shows a man who is reportedly 30 years old sitting in class at Nthetsheleseni Secondary School.
The school is in the Vhembe District Municipality in Limpopo. It is a public no-fee institution in the Tshivhulani Locality near Sibasa in the Thulamela region. Mese captioned the post saying the man was thinking about life after matric while being 30 years old.
DON'T MISS IT: Stay Away From Fake News With Our Short, Free Fact-Checking Course. Join And Get Certified!
South Africa stops and stares
South Africa has a complicated relationship with matric and age. According to the 2022 census, only 37.6% of South Africans have successfully completed matric. That means millions of adults are walking around without that certificate. The reasons are rarely simple. Life happens. Family responsibilities happen. The man in the video is reportedly one of many who never got the chance to finish the first time around.
The numbers behind the comeback
Nearly 22 million adults in South Africa do not hold a matric qualification. That is not a small problem but a national one. Many adults return to their studies later in life. Some want better job prospects. Others want to finally achieve a goal they never forgot about.
See the TikTok clip below:
Mzansi is moved by the story
Briefly News compiled some comments from the post below.
@Bruno commented:
“He even sits at the front. He's really determined. 😔🔥”
@call her Ted said:
“I'm 22 years old, and I went back to school last year to start my grade 11. I'm in grade 12 now, and I'm studying while schools are closed. Your time is coming.”
@Twenty-three wrote:
“What I like about school is that age doesn't matter when it comes to education. ❤️ You can go to school no matter how old you are.”
@Silindile thandeka Zulu said:
“Just tell him to push. I'm 29 years old, doing grade 11, and I don’t regret the decision. Forward is where we are going. ❤️🤌🫂 Best luck, stranger. 🙏 God bless you.”
@Ishmael Shibambu commented:
“No matter how life goes, only we decide how far we can go. It's not a race with people, it's about finding yourself.”
Source: TikTok
More South Africans going back to school
- A young South African woman shocks viewers after revealing she left her nursing career to return to matric full-time.
- South African adult entertainment star Wandi Ndlovu excitedly announced that she is going back to school.
- A determined student shares her journey from facing setbacks after matric to fifth-year medical school.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
