It was a dream come true for the group of friends called “Nyisa Kwasani” (Overall High Achievers) who graduated Cum Laude for their National Diploma in Information and Communication Technology in Business Analysis at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Celebratory Autumn Graduation ceremony. They were part of the group of the graduates from the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics who graduated at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Durban International Convention Centre on Friday, 15 July 2022.
The group of five consists of Musawenkosi Ngema (34), Mthobisi Mkhize (30), Qiniso Mngadi (21), Phelela Vundla, and Sphephelo Ndimande (25).
Ngema from Westville indicated that this was his second time graduating Cum Laude as he obtained it in his first qualification, a National Diploma in Tourism.
“Obtaining a second qualification was not only to prove to myself that I can change a career but it was also to inspire my family members who wish to further their studies. I worked in the Tourism field for five years but I realised that it was not for me. I decided to pursue a career in IT since everything is moving to the IT world. I made sure that I also excel in this qualification. Grouping yourself with the right people is always key to success,” explained Ngema.
Sharing some of things that helped the group to stand out from the rest, Mkhize from Ntshanga said they used to wake each other up during midnight for a group call where they would study together. He said they would monitor each other’s progress and discuss ways on how to assist those who are lacking behind.
“The motivation and support from my friends helped me to get Cum Laude. At first, I did not think it was possible. It was not easy; we would shout at each other to make sure that we do not lose sight of our end goal. We were always on each other’s toes, motivating one another. It was a team effort to make sure that we were all on the same level,” added Mkhize.
Vundla from Ngwelezane at eMpangeni, north of KwaZulu-Natal said he is glad to have met his friends who inspired him to achieve great results in all his modules. He said it was not easy, there were lots of sleepless nights.
“We created a study group from first year and we have been obtaining distinctions in our modules since then. Our friendship will not end here; we have become brothers. We plan to further our studies and keep on achieving greatness in all that we do,” said Vundla.
Ndimande from Durban congratulated his friends for obtaining Cum Laude and expressed that he was very close to obtaining Cum Laude. In his next qualification, he plans to push himself a little harder as he feels his friends have proven to him that obtaining Cum Laude is possible.
Mngadi from Mandeni said when they first formed the group they targeted to excel in one module, Application Development but after some time they decided to target all the modules, hence their name “Nyisa Kwasani”.
“We realised that it was possible to obtain good marks in all modules. We then channelled our mindsets to be overall high achievers. This really worked for us and we started realising that it was possible with hard work and determination. In our group, there is six of us, one of the members who also obtained Cum Laude did not attend the graduation. When we joined DUT, we did not know each other but we grouped ourselves based on our assessment of our class participation and potential,” said Mngadi.
Pictured: The Nyisa Kwasani group, Mthobisi Mkhize, Musawenkosi Ngema, Phelela Vundla, Sphephelo Ndimande and Qiniso Mngadi.
Picture Credit: Sandile Nkosi
Simangele Zuma
