A nun, Sister Lethiwe Francina Mazibuko grabbed the people’s attention at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) 2025 Autumn Graduation Ceremony when she came dressed in her church uniform to receive her Degree of Master of Management Sciences specialising in Public Administration at the Olive Convention Centre in Durban on Wednesday, 21 May 2025.

 

The 55-year-old Sister Mazibuko from Ladysmith was accompanied to the ceremony by three young nuns, who she mentors. She is a member of the Dominican Sisters of Montebello and the Registrar of St. Joseph Theological Institute. She believes one cannot be preaching God’s word without being empowered with knowledge and being open minded to work with other people.

 

Giving insight on her life, she said she became a nun straight after matric, totalling to 35 years of service.

“I grew up from a Roman Catholic church background. My parents were not educated but they were

passionate about education. They were hard workers, and they wanted us to be educated. There were seven of us at home and I was number three. We tried to honour their wishes, my younger brother is a medical doctor, my sister is a nurse, and my other brother is a teacher. Despite me joining the religious life, I did pursue my university studies and obtained my Diploma in Office Administration and my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology through other universities. In 2020, I then enrolled for my Master’s at DUT where my research was based on multicultural education as a strategy for peace in schools,” shared Sister Mazibuko.

 

According to Sister Mazibuko, her Master’s journey was tough having to juggle her church duties and her studies. The start of her journey was distracted by the outbreak of COVID-19 and having to deal with most of her family members being infected by the virus. She extended her gratitude to her younger brother Dr Manqoba Mazibuko who ended up being the support system of the family and dealing with the pressure of attending to patients in hospitals and then heading home to take care of his family members, especially his brother who was on a ventilator for two months.

 

“I could not focus on my studies; I was under a lot of depression. I took time for me to pick up. In 2023, I was motivated to pick up my studies after my nephew suddenly passed away on 26 June. I dedicated my dissertation to him because it inspired me that I have had such a long life and opportunities to study. I did it for him; he was an unemployed graduate but, on the day, he died we received a call from one municipality offering him a job. It was a tragic and a painful moment for me, but it motivated me to continue with my research as I was still alive to serve my purpose,” said Sister Mazibuko who also thanked God for seeing her through her journey.

 

She was saddened that her late mother was not there to share this special moment with her. She revealed that her mother passed away, last year, in December 2024. Sister Mazibuko is forever grateful to her late parents for motivating her to be a hard worker and rely on her own sweat.

 

Speaking about her decision to become a nun, Sister Mazibuko said she was inspired by her drive to help people and make a difference in their lives. After studying psychology, she indicated she did her honour’s degree and her board exam to qualify her to become a registered counsellor. Wherever she goes, she said she finds herself helping people who are distressed. She plans to further her studies to a PhD level pursing her passion of bringing healing to people’s lives. At first, she revealed that her family did not understand her decision of becoming a nun as they had desired her to go to university after matric, especially after receiving excellent results. Eventually, she said they had accepted and became supportive of her calling. She is happy to be persevering where she is.

 

“I have also been in the leadership of my congregation, which has exposed me to travelling abroad in countries such as Rome and other African countries. One of the countries that touched me was Rwanda where I saw the impact of genocide. It made me appreciate South Africa and the resources we have, especially the opportunities to study and empower ourselves. It is something you don’t see in other African countries,” added Sister Mazibuko.

 

Passing her congratulatory message a young nun, Sister Assampta Msiya (25) said Sister Mazibuko always encourages them to study. Seeing her on the graduation stage, Sister Miya said it inspired her to continue working hard towards obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in Theology. The third-year student believes education is a key to success and that it will open more doors of opportunities for her.

 

Pictured: Sister Lethiwe Mazibuko with her mentees at her graduation.