Shakaskraal success story – standing on Oprah’s shoulders

When Nomthandazo Tshakubi began her schooling career at Sizani Combined school in the early 2000’s, never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would soon be afforded a life changing opportunity.

Nomthandazo, also known as Nomtha, radiates confidence and has set the benchmark high after her successful schooling career, and hopes to encourage the young women of her community to rise up and work hard for their future careers.

The bubbly 24-year-old Shakaskraal resident is a proud Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) matriculant and Stellenbosch University graduate who is ready to take on the world.

As one of the top pupils at Sizani Combined, Nomtha was offered the opportunity of applying for a spot at OWLAG in 2007.

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OWLAG was launched by Oprah Winfrey in 2007 in Gauteng and offers an IEB academic curriculum for grades 8 through to 12.

“The application process was very stressful. We had to write a number of hard tests and take part in interviews, one of which was with Oprah Winfrey herself,” said Nomtha, who lives with her mom, brother and niece.

This experience, Nomtha said, was both exciting and scary, as at the time her English was “not up to scratch”.

But nonetheless she was blown away by the famous American media proprietor and after a successful interview, she was accepted to the prestigious school.

“This was a big thing for me. I was exposed to so many different people and different cultures,” said Nomtha.

“I wanted to break the cycle of kids in my family who were not aspiring to succeed and pass their matric.”

Over the next five years Nomtha flourished as she excelled in academics, sport and culture.

When her time there came to an end, Nomtha was offered a recruitment bursary for Stellenbosch University.

“OWLAG takes care of their pupils from the beginning of their high school careers to the end of their tertiary education. Everything from book allowances to medical aid was provided for us, which was such a huge help.”

While studying a BA in Social Dynamics, Nomtha fuelled her love for teaching and history by volunteering as a history tutor in the Khayamande township every Saturday.

She also joined the United Nations Association of South Africa, Stellenbosch Chapter as a Project Manager for the schools division.

Now a proud Stellies graduate, Nomtha is ready to go out into the working world and make a name for herself.

She is currently on the hunt for a job and teaching is at the top of her list. If you would like to get in touch, you can contact her on 076 584 0450.

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