When an orphaned DUT first-year student could not register for his course, his grandmother could not accept that her grandson’s dreams of furthering his studies had been shattered by a lack of funds.

The 70-year-old grandmother then decided to relinquish the comfort of a restful night’s sleep and she sold her bed so that her grandson could register for his diploma in Information Technology.

When DUT heard about Mrs Khanyi Sibiya’s plight – who was now spending her nights sleeping on the hard, cold floor as a result of her brave and unselfish sacrifice for her grandson’s future – the University decided to find sponsors for a new bed and bought her linen, also offering some cash to help with the running of the Sibiya household.

Tomorrow (Friday, 14 February 2014), DUT will hand over the bed, linen and money to Mrs Sibiya of Kenneth Gardens. The University is deeply involved with this community through its extensive community engagement project and has been a leading partner in this project (Kenneth Gardens) for the past two years.

Mrs Sibiya lives off her pension.

– Noxolo Memela