Former Penryn learner, Shafee Verachia, recently became the second member of his family to earn a Master of Finance (MFin) degree at the University of Cambridge in England.

Verachia completed all the requirements for his MFin earlier this month and will celebrate his graduation at the formal ceremony in May 2026. He pursued the two-year degree during 2024 and 2025. Verachia follows in the footsteps of his older brother, Zubair, who completed his master’s at Cambridge in 2024.

Speaking with Lowvelder on the opportunity to study at Cambridge, Shafee described the institution as magical and timeless, a place ‘where history and imagining the future collide.’ He also recalled a piece of wisdom that their father, Hussain, shared with him and Zubair as children.

“Growing up my dad used to drive us past Wits University and say to us ‘if you work hard, listen to your teachers, respect your mom and do your homework, maybe you will be lucky enough to attend the best university in South Africa, because we were denied that opportunity’,” he said.

Shafee and Zubair moved to Mbombela with their family in 1994, when Hussain joined the newly formed Mpumalanga provincial government. Both Verachia brothers, their parents’ only two children, are former learners of Penryn. Zubair attended Nelspruit Primary in Grade One before moving to Penryn, where he matriculated in 2008. Shafee attended Penryn for his entire school career and matriculated in 2009.

“I also briefly attended Kabouterland Pre-Primary in Steiltes, but was so afraid of leaving my mom, I bit my teacher and pulled her hair. I’m still so sorry about this!”

Being only one year apart, the Verachia brothers had very similar interests growing up and played a wide variety of sports. “Given that we were so close in age, there were many fights and even more broken windows. Sport taught us discipline and the pursuit of excellence.” They played provincial cricket together in 2007.

The brothers’ shared interests didn’t end after school, as both went on to pursue careers in business and finance. Shafee and Zubair completed their undergraduate studies in South Africa before venturing overseas for their postgraduate studies. They were also both selected as Chevening Scholars – recipients of a fully funded UK government scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at a British university.

Zubair completed his civil engineering degree at the University of Johannesburg. He went on to earn a Master’s in International Business from Rikkyo University in Tokyo, where he was selected as an Abe Scholar, a Master of Science in Management from the University of Illinois, and an MFin from the University of Cambridge.

Shafee completed his BSc and Honours in Actuarial Science at Wits University. “I was also involved in student politics and was the Wits SRC president in 2014,” he recalled.

He was chosen as a Chevening Scholar in 2019 and then proceeded to complete a Master’s in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership at the Bayes Business School at the University of London, before completing his most recent master’s at Cambridge.

Both Shafee and Zubair were members of the prestigious St Edmunds College at the University of Cambridge during their time in England. Since completing his master’s there, Shafee has returned to South Africa and is working at FirstRand as a funding and liquidity manager.

Shafee believes that he and Zubair’s tertiary success overseas should act as a beacon of hope for others from Mpumalanga seeking similar success. “Within a generation, not only did we exceed our father’s vision, but we have also attended the best university in the world. So, to any kids in Mpumalanga: keep dreaming, keep imagining, work hard, study hard, and from that little town, set forth and explore the world.”