Lab assistant at Jeppe High School for Boys, 70-year-old Thaga Martin Ledwaba obtained a National Professional Diploma in Education from Unisa in 2011. Here he is interacting with pupils from the school: Shane Robbins, Kyle Wesseman, Bradley Wheelin, Cameron Wright, Daniel Rodgers, and Graciano Pienaar.
“Destroy education and mankind is destroyed,” are the wise words of 70-year-old Thaga Martin Ledwaba, who in 2011 earned a National Professional Diploma in Education from Unisa.
At Thaga’s age, most people are settling into the rhythm and comfort of retirement, but for the science laboratory assistant at Jeppe High School for Boys in Johannesburg, there is no stopping.
Having grown up in Mashashane near Polokwane, and leaving school after standard eight, Thaga started his matric studies in 1975 with the help of Winnie Hofmeyr, a teacher at Jeppe. He completed his matric in 1988, which allowed him to enrol for his diploma at Unisa. After many late-night study sessions, achieving his diploma finally became a reality. “I wanted to teach, and to fulfil my father’s ambition for me, and also that of a priest at the mission school I attended. Some of the students as well as some of the teachers here at Jeppe also mentioned to me that I should become a teacher.”
Speaking on the power of education, Thaga said it is the greatest engine for career purposes. “Through education, the son of a peasant can become the headmaster of a big school, the son of a farmer can become the manager of a big company, and the daughter of a domestic worker can become a matron at a big hospital. Socrates said that opportunities don’t just come; they must be created. He also said that knowledge is the highest achievement of man and that reasoning is man’s highest function; therefore man must live according to reasoning.”
His family, both at home and at Jeppe, have constantly encouraged him to keep going and this is exactly what he intends doing. “One of my sisters also studied by correspondence, matriculated, and became a nursing sister. She is now retired, and when I leave Jeppe, we will work together on our grandfather’s farm. She is looking after it and buying the equipment we will need. There is a natural spring on the property, good clay and other soils that are good for farming and people are exploiting it now. But we want to study further and farm it together. We will also open doors to those who want to study with us as we aim to build a farm school.”
Thaga also hopes to assist people at home in the rural areas of Mashashane. “They need scientific understanding. I plan to continue studying as well as I am still thirsty for knowledge… To live from hand to mouth is not rewarding. People must go beyond the barriers.”
While Thaga is employed at Jeppe as a laboratory assistant, he is also responsible for opening and closing the school doors and preparing the building for major functions. As the school’s longest serving staff member, his drive, ambition and thirst for knowledge have inspired many at Jeppe, from the principal, Anton Dempsey, to pupils of all ages. The school’s front stairs are now called the Ledwaba Stairs, and pupils have painted a portrait of him that hangs alongside portraits of other important Jeppe figures.
Having recently received the Alexander Forbes Lifelong Learnership Award, Thaga says he is motivated daily by new technology, the messages of ancient philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, the inspiration of his late father and early teachers at the mission schools, and the encouragement of the science masters at Jeppe.
His advice to Unisa students both young and old: “Living from hand to mouth is not enough. Mount a hunting expedition for knowledge, and drink from its sparkling fountain. Don’t be distracted; focus on one goal at a time. Use all the resources and materials that are at Unisa and don’t let perceived barriers hold you up.”
*Source: Inspired Vol 8, No 1; June 2012
