Alex 18-year-old plans to change the fortunes of her family

A local 18-year-old is on a mission to change the negative history of her family.

Dipolelo Kgarame passed all her subjects with flying colours last year and is one of the beneficiaries of the Vincent Tshabalala Education Trust bursary scheme from East Bank High School. She will be studying BCom. Economics and Econometrics at Wits University this year.

The death of her grandmother in 2010 left a big scar in her life and, together with relocate to Alexandra where her parents lived, contributed to her poor performance at school. She had to adapt to a congested Alexandra, which was not easy for her.

“Before moving to Alex in 2010 I was living with my late grandmother in Hammanskraal. Living conditions there were different from those of Alex. After my grandmother’s death, I was compelled to move to Alex to live with my mother, my stepfather and my sibling in a one-room house,” she said.

However, failing Grade 10 in 2015 was an eye-opener. “Living in a place where there is no privacy was my biggest challenge. Last year I had to work hard and find ways to overcome those challenges. I joined Saturday classes offered by Sizanani Mentorship Programme to improve my performance at school. The extra classes helped me achieve good results.”

After finishing her studies, Kgarame dreams of building her family a big house in one of the suburbs in the Johannesburg North.