Despite staying alone in a room near his school and having to cook for himself, Mmenzile Ncube (17) from Station Road managed to bag six distinctions in the 2019 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams.
Ncube’s inspiring journey of having to look after himself for three years started in 2017 when he could not be placed in a Brakpan school and was accepted at Boitumelong Secondary School in Tembisa.
“My parents and I decided that it would be financially more viable for me so stay near the school so we found a room, which became my house for three years,” said Mmenzile.
“Although I had the ongoing support, love and motivation of my father, Nkosinathi, and mother, Virginia, I had to overcome many obstacles, such as cooking for myself and doing my own washing.
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“However, these extra chores were never a problem for me. It only made me a better and stronger person.”
Mmenzile explained that he grabbed every opportunity to study and it became his main focus for three years.
“I realised I would have to work hard and be very disciplined to achieve good marks in order to hopefully study further after matric,” he said.
“I attended extra classes before and after school, and even over weekends.
“I had to make decisions to not go out and party with friends on weekends because I did not have a mother or a father around me all the time to remind me of my goals.”
Although his parents were not present, the young man has the greatest respect and love for his mom and dad.
“I received messages of support and encouragement from my parents on a daily basis,” said Mmenzile.
“My mom used to send me home-cooked meals sometimes and I will forever be grateful for their support.”
He told the Herald he had his own set of strict rules pinned up in his room.
“ I wrote those rules for myself and whenever I felt demotivated I used to look at my rules and the positivity would kick in again.”
Mmenzile dreams of becoming a successful businessman who will be known not only nationally but internationally.
Unfortunately, he may never be able to live this dream as he is not able to further his studies due to financial constraints.
“I am still hoping and praying for a miracle because all I want to do is study actuarial science and I know I will be able to make a success of it,” he said.
“I worked very hard for three years, but especially during my matric year, to achieve good marks with the hope that I might be offered a bursary.
“I will not stop praying and hoping for the opportunity. I am ready to work hard and make a difference in this beautiful country and world of ours.”
Also read: Life after matric: choosing a career
Mmenzile obtained the following marks: English first additional language (82 per cent), mathematics (91 per cent), life orientation (92 per cent), accounting (89 per cent), life sciences (88 per cent), physical sciences (92 per cent) and isiZulu home language (74 per cent).
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