Ntombifuthi Mokoena, a teacher at Osizweni Primary School, received an award for excellence in Grade R teaching in the Gert Sibande region and in Mpumalanga.
This prestigious awards evening took place on August 24 in Skukuza. Mokoena will now be part of the national teachers’ awards ceremony in Gauteng.
Moekoena only found her calling as a teacher later in life. She grew up in eMbalenhle and began working at Graceland Casino Hotel and Resort as a cashier after she finished school.
She decided to study further, completed her N6 course and began working as an admin clerk at Shapeve Primary School in eMbalenhle.
The principal of Shapeve, Sellinah Malinga, allowed Mokoena to study further through the Department of Education and she completed her degree in teaching in the foundation phase.
“I never thought I would become a teacher, but then I began teaching my first class,” said Mokoena.
She later traded Shapeve for Osizweni Primary School, where she was still teaching the Grade R classes.
“I enjoy working with the little ones and want to gain more knowledge and grow in my profession as a teacher.”
She was a professional netball player in her younger days and got provincial netball colours yearly. She played for the U19 South African netball team in her matric year.
She played netball for the Sasol Netball Club until she got injured and then decided to focus more on her teaching career.
Her eldest daughter followed in her footsteps on the netball field when she was chosen for the South Africa U19 netball team’s practice squad and went to Malta to represent her country. Mokoena always tries to improve herself in the teaching field and is constantly doing courses to enrich herself.
“I will not leave teaching. I will see one day how I can implement this degree into my teaching.”
She is grateful for her mother, Nomasonto Zulu and her late grandmother, Gogo Zulu, who had to work hard to give her everything she needed. She gave a special thanks to her husband, Mdu Mokoena, who always supported her for the past 24 years.
She also thanked her mother-in-law, all the staff at Osizweni Primary School, the school management members, Gert Sibande MTA team, Dawn Mngomezulu, Priscilla Masombuka, Allan Makhunga, Fatti Nkosi and the retired prinicpal at Osizweni, JM Zondo, who supported her and helped her to achieve her best.
She thanked God and said without Him, she would not have achieved anything in her life.
“I never thought I would become a teacher, but God put me here because He wants me here and He trusts me with the young ones.”
In her part-time, when Mokoena is not studying or teaching or spending time with her family, she is coaching netball and drum majorettes at school.
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