Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) Operations Management alumna, Anathi Sokhetye left for Hungary, Europe on Sunday, 27 September 2020, to start her two-year Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship.

She will be pursuing her Master of Arts (MA) in Business Development at the Eszterhazy Karoly University in the city of Eger, Hungary.

Her scholarship is a joint venture between the Hungarian and South African governments. It covers her tuition, accommodation and a portion of her stipend while the South African government covers her travelling consisting of visa, return air ticket, a contribution towards her stipend and a settling in allowance.

Sokhetye from Matatiele, a small town in the Eastern Cape is among the 101 students nominated this year by the Department of Higher Education and Training for this scholarship which has been running since 2017.

“In January 2020, I applied for a scholarship through the Department of Higher Education and Training. I was very excited when I got a call that I was invited to an interview. This meant that my dream of pursuing my Masters overseas was slowly starting to come true. Ultimately I was awarded the scholarship and my dream came true. A girl like me, from the dusty streets of Matatiele was jetting off to Hungary to pursue her Masters. My family was very happy for me and celebrated with me,” said Sokhetye.

Despite having to be separated from her family for two years, Sokhetye is grateful for this opportunity, since this is her first international trip.

She revealed that she is following the health guidelines to protect herself from the coronavirus.

Comforting her is the fact that Hungary is managing the infection rate since at the moment, the country is sitting at 24 716 cases.

“The coronavirus pandemic has affected everyone’s life throughout the world. What I have observed is that the same practices used in South Africa to prevent the spread of the virus, also apply here in Hungary. When I first found out about the COVID-19 pandemic I was very scared but with time as the education on how to prevent one from getting infected got spread out, it became a new normal. I had to ensure that I always protect myself and those around me through sanitising my hands, maintaining social distancing and always wearing a face mask,” said Sokhetye.

She is confident that in two-years’ time she will return to South Africa holding her Master’s degree in her hands.

Advising other students with dreams to study abroad, Sokhetye said they need to stay focused and reach out to other people to seek assistance to achieve their dreams.

She obtained her BTech in Operations Management at DUT’s Virtual Graduation held in June 2020.

Sokhetye is grateful to the Head of the Department, Rabindutt Ramlagan who has been very supportive throughout the preparatory stages of the application process. Many thanks goes to her lectures at DUT whom, she said have been instrumental in her journey through her postgraduate studies, and motivated her to further her studies.

Pictured: Anathi Sokhetye when she was leaving for Hungary.

Simangele Zuma