Nqobile Nomalanga Mdletshe is pursuing her dream of being a teacher
It is said that you have not heard a story until you hear the story of a woman. Nqobile Nomalanga Mdletshe gives a new meaning to that saying. At an early age she had to leave her life like a candle in the wind. Her story is sad, inspiring and moving. She is from Piet Retief and she now teaches at Piet Retief High School.
She begins by telling the turning point in her life, “In the year 1999, my mother and I were involved in a car accident.” Nqobile was not injured but her mother sustained head injuries and, after a long struggle, passed away in 2003. Her father then came to live with her but being a girl and being raised by a man whilst becoming a teenager has its own challenges. “It was tough at times being raised by a father when you’re about to enter your teens with so much going on, as well, but I made it.”
Whilst she was still trying to make sense of losing her mother and enjoying the newfound connection with her father, all came crumbling down her face. “In 2008, my father was diagnosed with colon cancer and he passed away that same year
Nqobile’s growing up was fast tracked and she had to be an adult and think on her feet. She became one of those child-headed families, the difference being that she was living alone in her house. Her stepmother, who was young and unemployed and could not help her financially, tried to help her to get a social grant. “We were unsuccessful as they told us that I would have to go and live in an orphanage.” Nqobile sought employment and worked at the local Spar during school holidays and every second weekend to get money for school, to buy clothes and other necessities.
She understood what it means to say, “you are, because I am”, as she lived on food parcels that were provided to her by the school and good friends whose parents would invite to Sunday lunch, “the only time I’d really get a decent meal.”
With all that she was going through, Nqobile managed to complete high school. “I did it without parents telling me when to study. I just had to be the guidance that I needed.” She matriculated last year and, like many other matriculants, she was anxious about where her life was heading. It was in November during her final exams when her luck changed. Mr Bouwer, her school principal, called her and offered her a lifeline. “He asked if I would like to be a student assistant teacher, which means I work till 12:00 and then I can go and study and use the internet.” Nqobile teaches computer applications to a grade 8 class. Indeed, her luck was truly changing as she also got a bursary for further study from an organisation called Make a Difference (MAD), through the intervention of her mentor, Annika Rabe.
Nqobile is now doing her Bachelor of Education Intermediate and Senior Phase through Unisa. “Unisa has helped me as it is so convenient to study in the comfort of my own home. It shows that anyone can get an education these days. You don’t have to have a lot of money to get educated; you just need to be dedicated.” She has found a way of dealing with her studies. “I am managing studying and working by planning everything in advance. I have a strict timetable and I stick to it.”
Early this year her stepmother passed away after being sick for a while, leaving her with a five-year-old half-sister. “So I am currently a 19-year-old teacher who is working and studying at the same time and mother to a five-year-old girl.”
Nqobile urged Unisa students to never stop following their dreams as these are one of the main keys to their success. “A dream is what must drive you until you get to your desired destination and always have your dream in mind, no matter how far or difficult it may seem at times.”
*Source: Inspired Vol 7, No 2; November 2011
