'His Picture Touched My Heart': Jacinta Ngobese Zuma Surprises Viral Graduate With Celebration

• March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese Zuma tracked down a UKZN graduate after his viral graduation photo moved her to tears
• The young man, raised by his grandmother, a street vendor, wore jeans and a golf shirt to his ceremony because he could not afford a suit
• Jacinta organised a hotel celebration in Umhlanga and arranged transport and accommodation for his family to attend

KWAZULU-NATAL - - A KwaZulu-Natal activist went looking for a stranger after one photograph stopped her in her tracks. Jacinta Ngobese Zuma, leader of the March and March movement, shared on Facebook on 6 August 2026 how a viral image of a young man at his University of KwaZulu-Natal graduation had moved her deeply.

Footage of the emotional Dumisani Ngobese crossing the stage in his gown, dressed in a plain T-shirt and jeans, struck a chord with South Africans who saw in him a powerful example of hard work, determination and triumph over difficult circumstances.

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Jacinta organises a celebration fit for a graduate

After seeing the viral images, Jacinta set out to find him. Once she did, she pulled together something he never expected. She organised a full graduation celebration at a hotel in Umhlanga, where his loved ones gathered to honour his achievement properly.

"His picture touched my heart," she wrote.

His family was transported to the venue and accommodated so that no one had to miss the occasion. On the night, the young man arrived dressed in a sharp suit, a world away from the golf shirt he had worn at the ceremony itself.

Jacinta shared a video of the celebration on her Facebook page, capturing the warmth of the evening and the joy of a milestone finally marked the way it deserved to be.

See video and photos of the celebration here:

Graduate touches Mzansi's heart

The graduate, who was raised by his grandmother, a street vendor and the family's sole breadwinner, could not afford to buy a suit for his graduation day. While many of his peers dressed up for the occasion, he walked across the stage in jeans and a plain golf shirt. Despite having nothing formal to wear, he refused to miss the moment.

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"I could not afford to buy a suit but I just had to be there at graduation," he said.

Photos of him at the ceremony circulated widely, showing an emotional young man overcome with feeling. UKZN shared the images on its social media platforms.

Deserving UKZN graduate receives an outpouring of love

Briefly News reported that a young UKZN graduate who touched South Africans with her emotional graduation story has now received an outpouring of support. Nokuthula Dlamini’s story resonated with many people after she revealed that she attended her graduation ceremony wearing clothes she already owned. Since trending online, photographers, makeup artists and ordinary South Africans have rallied behind the graduate, helping her celebrate her academic achievement.

Source: Briefly News