With humble beginnings in rural Nquthu, 24-year-old Luthando Molefe has shown his mettle by becoming the first student in the history of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s School of Education to scoop three consecutive awards for being one of the institution’s most inspiring students.
Luthando, a Bachelor of Education Honours student, was named in the list of UKZN’s top 40 ‘most inspiring students for the 2019/20 academic year for his outstanding academic excellence, community engagement/university service and leadership roles’.
This comes after he was nominated by his peers and academics at the UKZN’s School of Education (Edgewood campus) in the College of Humanities on the annual Spotlight on Greatness competition that is run by the university, and he was successfully announced as one of the winners.
Luthando was previously named in the top 40 in 2017 and 2018. Humbled and excited, Luthando commented that: “I am very pleased to have been awarded such a prestigious award by UKZN. For me, this speaks as evidence, through my outstanding work, that I am indeed inspiring the very same greatness that UKZN aims for.”
Dr Makhosi Shoba, who is a lecturer (Education and Curriculum Studies) at UKZN’s School of Education and Luthando’s former lecturer, congratulated him by saying “Luthando’s achievement comes as no surprise to me, as he is a hardworking young man who holds very high academic standards.
He always works tirelessly to produce nothing but the best academic achievements. His string of achievements bear testimony to his work ethic and dedication. I am very proud to have worked with a student of this calibre who, despite coming from a disadvantaged background, defied the odds and excelled in a space where many become overwhelmed by the complex academic discourse. This leads to them succumbing to peer pressure and consequently failing.”
Born in Nquthu, Luthando is the first of three siblings, and has a younger brother and sister, Luthando was raised by his grandmother. “What inspired me from an early age is that my teachers always believed in me. They saw great potential in me through my hard work and dedication, motivating me to do even greater things.
For me, it’s a matter of being driven by a personal rationale in achieving good and facing reality by not letting your background determine your future.
Therefore, through hard work and dedication, one can defy the odds and excel in whatever one does.” In between studying, Luthando is an avid reader of books and academic papers, and when he can, he relaxes by watching sport (mostly soccer and rugby). He is also inspired by listening to music, which he says gives him hope and relief.
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