A hard day’s night pays off for Groutville graduate

The desire to become a better person and uplift his family came at the price of sleeping only two hours a day.

Abraham Gwala (31), who recently graduated with a financial management diploma and secured a job as account and admin assistant with a local company, looks back at his years of hard work with pride.

After matriculating in 2007 at Hambisanani High School in Manguzi, near the Mozambique and Swaziland borders, he moved to live with his mother, who was a farm labourer at Darnall.

“That was when I realised how harAbraham Gwala (31), who recently graduated with a financial management diploma and secured a job as account and admin assistant with a local company, looks back at his years of hard work with pride.d my mother was working and I felt that I had to change the situation at home. I worked at the farm for a few months and used all the money I had to get a security certificate,” said Gwala.

He got a job as a security guard but soon realised that it was not enough for him and his family.

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He then saved hard and registered at a private institution to study towards a maritime diploma.

But his savings soon ran out and he was forced to drop out. He then realised that uMfolozi College in Groutville was a better option for him as there are 100% NSFAS bursaries available for needy students.

“I was told there were no part-time courses available, so I asked my employer if I could work the night shift only.

“It was difficult because I had to attend classes during the day and work at night. Sometimes I did my homework and assignments on the train to work,” said Gwala, who now lives in Groutville.

Sometimes it was difficult to concentrate during lectures after only two hours sleep a night, but his lecturers were willing to help him pick up what he had missed.

“Studying is not based on your background or financial standing but how you manage to balance your time for studies and other activities. If you put in the effort, you are bound to succeed,” said Gwala.

Being the first of his family to graduate made him ecstatic as he is now a role model to his siblings.

“I can now see that my future is very bright which is something I was uncertain of as a security guard. I can now go back home and change the home I grew up in.”

He is currently studying accounting and bookkeeping through Damelin College in Durban.

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