Nhlakanipho Sosibo aims to inspire other disabled people, having recently graduating with his master’s in Management Sciences at the 2023 DUT Spring Graduation held at the Olive Convention Centre.

“I hope my achievement will be an inspiration to all and other disabled people to achieve their goals, and they should be fearless, and they should never let their disability discourage them. Although things might be difficult at times there is always a way forward. Never be afraid to ask for help. Believe in yourself, we all can make a difference,” he said proudly.

Sosibo started his schooling at Umhlabashana Primary school, going on to Highflats Primary School and then starting high school journey at Wentworth Secondary School where he had matriculated. His journey at DUT started in 2018 when he had enrolled for a Degree of Bachelor of Technology in Public Management, which was stressful and challenging as he had almost failed, given up due to financial issues, however this was the first time where he took cognisance of his situation and accepted his disability. In 2019, his focus was to get a job and support his family, he was lucky to then obtain an internship with Unilever for two years, giving him the encouragement to finish his degree and apply for his master’s at DUT.

In 2020, he was accepted for master’s degree in management sciences at DUT.  “I was so excited and failing was not an option, I faced numerous challenges as a student and being an employee and student at the same time was not an easy task. Having no funding was one of my biggest challenges but luckily in 2021 I received a DUT scholarship for two years,” he added.

Sosibo’s dissertation was focused was on the significance of Technical Education in Basic Education: A case of High schools in Umlazi, Durban in response to a high level of youth unemployment rate and skills shortage amongst the youth.

In 2023 he received good news that he had obtained cum laude with a Dean’s Merit award. “I shared the news with my family and my friends, my parents were extremely happy as they have always wanted me to do my best in my work and become successful. They are still in disbelief that I made it with cum laude. I thank myself for not giving up and my friends who had helped me with methods that I could use to excel in my studies. I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor Dr Omololu and all my participants. I also thank the Creator (God) and my ancestors for being by my side, giving me wisdom, strength, knowledge, and the opportunity to undertake my studies. Without his blessings, this achievement would not have been possible,” he replied.

Sosibo indicated that one needs to persevere and be self-driven, and have a vision to make one’s dream come true.

Pictured: Nhlakanipho Sosibo

Waheeda Peters