It is every parents dream to see their children graduating. Nontokozo Ntuli’s mom, Doris Sebenzile Ntuli (63) could not hold back her tears when she saw her daughter being awarded with her Bachelor’s Degree in Education at the Durban University of Technology (DUT).

Ntuli from Sweetwaters in Pietermaritzburg graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Education at the DUT Celebratory Autumn Graduation at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg, on Monday, 25 July 2022.

It was a very emotional moment for Mrs Ntuli since she knew the hardships that she went through to make this possible for her daughter, she is still in disbelief of her graduation today.

“I had to borrow money in order for my child to be registered every year because she did not have any funding. Her journey was extremely tough, I remember the time she became sick, she also had to drop out from her studies because she could not take it anymore. She could not even focus on her studies, I even lost count on how many years it took her to finish this degree,”  she explained.

Ntuli’ s journey at DUT was faced with lot of difficulties, the situation back home was extremely bad to a point that she had to drop out of her studies and look for a job. Despite everything that was happening in her life she had this vision that always pushed her to achieve her dreams, she wanted to make her mom proud, and to wipe all the tears that she has been sharing for all these years.

She expressed that on her final year God came through for her as she obtained funding from SETA bursaries. Ntuli thanked her mother, the whole Ntuli family for their support that they gave her throughout her studies.

“I also want to pass my gratitude to my husband who helped me with my studies whenever I struggled. I will also want to thank my late father who would be so proud of me today if he was still alive,” said Ntuli.

Currently, Ntuli is working as a professional teacher at Mlulama secondary School in Hopewell.

Photographer: Vusi Dlamini

Pictured: Ntokozo Ntuli

Nomvelo Zulu