Mpumalanga Mom From Poor Background Becomes 1st Person in Family to Graduate, Bags Master's

• A 30-year-old mother from a small village in Mpumalanga has obtained her master’s degree from the University of South Africa
• The young woman tells Briefly News that she grew up in an under-resourced family, and therefore bagging an NQF 9 degree is a huge win
• Banele Witness Khoza opens up about being the first person in her family to obtain a higher education qualification

Banele Witness Khoza is a mother from a small village called Mangweni in Mpumalanga who has made her family incredibly proud.

Not only is the smart lady passionate about education, but her love of encouraging literacy in young people is also admirable.

Mpumalanga lady bags master’s

The stunning Banele posted about her success on LinkedIn, noting that she obtained her Master of Information Science from the University of South Africa.

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Briefly News caught up with the 30-year-old woman, who shared what the accomplishment meant to her:

“I'm very happy and proud of myself for this achievement. The journey has been hard with a lot of challenges.

“However, I came out victorious and I successfully published a journal article from the study. This is big for me as a girl from a poor background and being the first person in my family to obtain higher education [is amazing].”

Mom of 1 wants PhD

The sis states that navigating academia as a mother had various challenges:

“I was studying while caring for a newborn. That was extremely challenging as my time was split between being a mom, work and school.

“There are a lot of hoops that one has to go through to complete a master's. Sometimes mean comments from supervisors and markers that seem to be personally attacking you [can get you down]. There were times I felt like punching people.”

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But Banele is not done with academia despite the upheaval and dreams of being called ‘doctor’ one day:

“One of my aspirations is to get to NQF 10. I also wish to do a Bachelor of Laws degree. Besides that, I wish to be part of an NGO dealing with literacy issues among young children in villages.”

UKZN graduate inspired by sister

In a related story by Briefly News, an ambitious young woman who obtained her Honours degree in Economics from the University of Kwazulu-Natal earlier this year, has opened up about life after graduation.

Sinazo Geza is currently employed and fighting for her dreams, telling Briefly News that adulting has come with various challenges. However, despite everything, the young woman wants to study further and follow in her sister, Wendy Geza’s footsteps.

Source: Briefly News