NGQAMAKWE- A long-held prayer by a Ngqamakhwe mother has finally been answered after her daughter became the first graduate in the family during a moving graduation ceremony at iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu(Formerly known asWalter Sisulu University).
Twenty-two-year-old(22) Andiswa Matolengwe graduated with a Diploma in Public Management at the university’s Komani Campus on Friday, with her mother Nomathamsanqa Matolengwe and older sister watching proudly from the audience as she crossed the stage.
For Nomathamsanqa, the moment marked the end of years of struggle, sacrifice and unwavering hope that education would one day change her family’s circumstances.
“No words can describe how happy I am at this moment. I have been praying for this day all my life, that I can also have a child who is a graduate,” she said.
The Matolengwe family, from Ngqamakhwe in the has endured years of financial hardship after the children’s father left for Johannesburg while Andiswa was still in pre-school.
He later returned years afterwards, shortly before she enrolled at university and later passed away.
Despite the challenges, Nomathamsanqa said she remained committed to ensuring her children received an education, often working as a domestic worker to provide for them.“I have raised my children single-handedly since their father left and came back years later and passed on,” she said.
“I have worked as a domestic worker to provide for them and I hope now with Andiswa graduated she can secure a job and build us a home and put our family name on the map.”
As the youngest child and now the first graduate in the household, Andiswa’s achievement carries deep symbolic meaning for the family.
Her mother described her as a determined and promising child from an early age.
“My child has been my beacon of hope. Since her primary and high school days she has always been promising. Sometimes she would even play the role of a lawyer during school drama activities,” she said.
“There has always been something significant about her from birth and I was told that one day she would grow up to be something in life. Today, it feels like the beginning of that.”
For Andiswa, graduation was the fulfilment of a dream she had carried since childhood, but also the start of new responsibilities.
“I am so grateful for this day, and I can guarantee my mother that the next step is to find employment and take care of our family,” she said.
“I have always seen myself in this space of graduation since I was young, and today I am realising my dreams.”
She also paid tribute to one of her lecturers, Mr Zimele Tomoso for his role in her academic journey.
“I would like to thank my lecturer, Mr Zimele Tomoso, who taught me Public Strategic Policy. He made school easy and classes enjoyable,” she said.
Speaking after the ceremony, Andiswa encouraged young people from her home village to pursue education despite difficult circumstances.
“To the youth in my home town it is possible, and honestly it is only education that can rescue you from poverty,” she said.
Source: IWS/Yolanda Palezweni
Photograph: IWS/Supplied
Leave a Reply