Sphelele Dlamini: Turning Personal Challenges into Opportunities for Others
From navigating financial and material challenges as a university student to establishing an organisation that helps young people access educational opportunities, Durban University of Technology (DUT) student leader Sphelele Dlamini is turning personal experiences into meaningful community impact.
For Dlamini, community engagement is more than an institutional responsibility. It is a personal commitment shaped by his own experience of navigating higher education without adequate financial and material support. Having faced uncertainty around funding, accommodation and basic necessities, he understands how circumstances beyond a young person’s control can threaten their educational aspirations.
Today, the DUT Marketing and Retail graduate, who is pursuing an Advanced Diploma in Marketing, is using those experiences to help others overcome similar barriers.
His journey began during a difficult period when he struggled to secure National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding, accommodation and basic necessities. During this time, Ms Indira Governor from DUT’s Financial Aid Department offered him support with accommodation and food, while guiding him through his funding challenges.
Her intervention made a lasting impression on Dlamini and helped shape his understanding of the difference that timely support and guidance can make in someone’s life. It also inspired a question that would eventually define his community engagement journey: What happens to young people who have the potential to succeed but lack access to the information and support they need?
In April 2023, he turned that question into action by establishing Maswamahle Youth Development NPC, a student-founded organisation dedicated to helping young people access educational opportunities and make informed decisions about their futures.
Through Maswamahle, Dlamini and his team assist prospective students with university and college applications, bursary information, NSFAS guidance and career-related advice.
The organisation reaches young people in communities across KwaZulu-Natal, including Ulundi, Nongoma and Ceza, while its online support extends to aspiring students in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo.
At the heart of this work is Dlamini’s belief that access to the right information can change the direction of a young person’s life. Having experienced the challenges of navigating higher education, he is committed to ensuring that others do not have to face the same uncertainties without guidance.
One of Maswamahle’s notable initiatives is the Bright Minds Challenge, hosted in August 2026 with support from DUT’s Department of Marketing and Retail and the Community Engagement Office.
The initiative brought together Grade 8 and Grade 9 learners to explore science, innovation and problem-solving through presentations designed to encourage creativity, critical thinking and confidence.
Mnyamana Memorial High School emerged as the overall winner, followed by Mhlambansila High School and Phikwase High School.
For Dlamini, the value of the challenge went beyond the competition itself. It provided learners with an opportunity to explore their abilities, communicate their ideas and begin seeing themselves as future innovators and problem-solvers.
His contribution also extends to DUT’s UNI4ALL Programme, through which students engage with school learners and share information about higher education opportunities. In 2026, he also serves as a DUT tutor, supporting fellow students academically while continuing with his own studies.
Dlamini’s journey reflects DUT’s ENVISION2030 aspirations and its commitment to developing socially responsive and adaptive graduates who contribute meaningfully to society.
Through his work, he demonstrates the importance of compassion, accountability and collaboration, translating these values into practical initiatives that respond to the educational needs of young people.
His journey also highlights the important role students can play beyond the classroom. They are not only beneficiaries of higher education but can also become active contributors to community development while pursuing their qualifications.
Balancing his academic responsibilities, tutoring commitments and leadership of a community organisation has not been without challenges, particularly given the limited resources available to sustain the organisation’s activities. However, Dlamini remains committed to expanding its reach and creating opportunities for others.
His efforts have also received institutional recognition. In 2024, Maswamahle was selected among the Top 10 projects in DUT’s Engagement Showcase Awards. Dlamini subsequently received the Faculty of Management Sciences’ Community Engagement Award in both 2024 and 2025.
While these achievements recognise his dedication, Dlamini’s ambitions extend beyond individual accolades. He hopes to strengthen Maswamahle’s school outreach and mentorship activities, expand the Bright Minds Challenge and establish further partnerships that will enable the organisation to reach more young people.
As the inaugural recipient of DUT’s Community Engagement Change Agent of the Month recognition, Dlamini represents a generation of student leaders who are using their experiences, knowledge and education to address challenges within their communities.
His message to fellow students and staff is that meaningful change does not necessarily require substantial resources. It can begin with sharing information, offering guidance, opening doors or extending the same support that once made a difference in one’s own life.
From being a student who needed support to becoming someone who creates opportunities for others, Sphelele Dlamini’s journey demonstrates that the true measure of leadership lies not only in personal achievements, but also in the difference one makes in the lives of others.
Pictured: Sphelele Dlamini.
Phumeza Msongelwa
