Hailing from Nquthu, KwaZulu Natal, Thobani Siphiwe Mbatha praised God, ancestors and his family, saying without them, this achievement would not have been possible. This was after he was recognised by the Faculty of Applied Science for academic excellence. He graduated Cum Laude for a Diploma in Shipping and Logistics at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) 2024 Autumn Graduation ceremony, held at the Olive Convention Centre on Tuesday, 21 May 2024.
The 29-year-old shared that he had no idea of what Shipping and Logistics was about, as he had always fantasised about being in a Health industry.
“To be honest I didn’t know anything about Shipping and Logistics during my time at high school as my first choice was Nursing. There was someone who detailed everything about Shipping and Logistics to me before applications after matric then I got interested and I decided to follow this career path,” he said.
The major shift from contact classes to online learning saw Mbatha dropping in his academic performance, as he would face signal issues in his area, which led him to miss some of the classes. He shared his words of appreciation to his friends and family, for having his back and being his pillar of strength.

“I will always be grateful for the friends I made at DUT. They held my hand in difficult times, that is why I feel they are part of this achievement. My mother also played a pivotal role with her prayers and words of encouragement. She is extremely proud of my Cum Laude, and hoping this achievement will open doors for my dream job,” he excitedly shared.

Mbatha is currently doing an internship at Phoenix ,Durban. His career aspiration is to work for one of the biggest shipping lines in the world, gain valuable experience in the industry and own a logistics company.

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Pictured: Thobani Mbatha at the DUT 2024 Autumn Graduation ceremony

Thubelihle Dumakude