College of Education
Cutting grass by day, pursuing Unisa studies by night
Prof Sindile Ngubane, Acting HoD: Institute for Open Distance Learning: College of Education, Siyabonga Chaliluque, and Dr Joyce Myeza, Regional Director: KwaZulu-Natal Region
As a June 2025 autumn graduation ceremony took place in Durban, a dramatic scene unfolded when a young man walked onto the stage and, after being capped, instead of celebrating like other graduates, clung to the Regional Director, Dr Joyce Myeza (who was performing the Registrar’s duties for the ceremony) and cried uncontrollably. The festivities were paused for a minute to allow the graduate’s emotions to run their course.
This is the incredible, fascinating story of Siyabonga Chaliluque from rural KwesakwaMthethwa in Empangeni, in northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), who recently graduated from Unisa with a Bachelor of Education degree.
Chaliluque has a complicated past, having endured an impoverished upbringing without sufficient financial support for the family. As he explains, his mother was a South African from KZN and his father a Mozambican, and he lost them both at a young age: his father, who was not well, passed away in 1999, and then his mother was swept away by the devastating KZN floods of 2000.
Siyabonga Chaliluque cutting grass
Chaliluque reminisces about the time when the tragedies occurred, imagining he must have been about seven or eight years old, having been born in 1993. He laments never having had someone to call "Mother" or "Father" affectionately; in essence, as he puts it, he could not recall what a parent’s love felt like. This loss caused him deep-seated pain, which left emotional scars that are yet to heal.
He explains that he is from a family of five children, with two sisters and two disabled brothers. His older sister stepped up and took care of the whole family in the absence of their parents.
When Chaliluque matriculated from Uyengo High School in Bumbaneni, KwaMbonambi, he was unsure what to do next, as nobody in his family could guide him on his post-school career path. Deep down, he knew he wished to do something meaningful with his life, but his initial focus became surviving and looking after his siblings. To that end, he looked for odd jobs, approaching an entrepreneur in their community who ran a small-scale grass-cutting business. The grass-cutting job paid about R50 per yard, which Chaliluque describes as "not bad" for a person in his situation, because he cut three yards per day, to earn a decent wage of R150 a day.
The turning point came when Chaliluque noted somebody in his community studying through Unisa, yet had not moved away to pursue his tertiary studies. Chaliluque asked the student to assist him with his application and registration; the rest, as they say, is history. Having become a father in 2015, Chaliluque was encouraged to persist with his studies through Unisa, to ensure that his son would not suffer the hardships he went through.
Looking back on the difficulties associated with studying at a distance, Chaliluque pinpoints significant challenges such as his rural location with limited internet connectivity, Wi-Fi issues, and being far away from modern, technologically advanced cities. As he notes, his determination kept him going.
Now, Chilulique's only wish is to secure a teaching position, which he hopes will assist him in pulling his family out of poverty. "I hope, as a Unisa graduate, to one day stop cutting grass for a living, and to be employed as an educator," he says. "One day, through this Unisa qualification, I hope to provide for my family, son, and community. I am indebted to this impoverished community and wish to give back to it in any way I can."
* By Siyabonga Seme, Manager: Communication and Marketing, KwaZulu-Natal Region
Publish date: 2025-07-03 00:00:00.0
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