Local matric gets six distinctions despite worries after brother disappears

A north of Pretoria matriculant managed six distinctions despite her year being marred by tragedy when her brother disappeared without a trace.

Nondumiso Sihlangu and her family were left praying for the safe return of Ndumiso Sihlangu, who they had reported missing after he failed to return home in March 2022.

Though devastated Nondumiso had to focus on making the most of an important year in her schooling career.

“I know I could have done better, but I was feeling very low and started giving up on my results early in the year.

It was my family, friends and school teachers’ assistance, especially my maths teacher who pushed me when all I wanted to do was give up,” she said.

She added that after her brother disappeared, her extended family would come around often and encourage her to focus on her school work as they would handle the rest.

“My fear of failure and not getting accepted into my preferred university partially motivated me. I also didn’t want to blame my brother’s disappearance if I received bad results.

“I love my brother and I didn’t want to hate him in future for not getting accepted to university.”

Father, Justice Sihlangu shared his excitement for her outstanding achievement and said that the family was very proud of her.

The Christian Progressive College learner obtained distinctions in mathematics, physical science, accounting, life science, life orientation and English.

No new developments have surfaced since the Ndumiso’s disappearance more than nine months ago.

Justice said that the family was still devastated by Ndumiso’s disappearance and holds on to the hope that he will one day eventually return home.

“We share the same message with his siblings. I think it provides comfort to the rest of us by believing he is out there somewhere.”

Nondumiso plans on continuing her studies however, she is currently torn between joining the accounting or medical field.

While the class of 2022 collected their results recently, 2023 matric learners are still finding their feet into a very important year for them.

Nondumiso advised matric learners to remain focused.

“Life gets hard in the most unexpected ways, but university institutions do not care about that.

“Life moves on. If something bad happens, try to get up and dust yourself off and if possible have as much support from your family and friends as you can. It will help when things get tough.”

She had the following tips:

– Never miss a day at school if not necessary.
– Listen to teachers; they have been in this field for a while, so they probably know best.
– Delete all your social media accounts except for YouTube.
– Avoid getting into a romantic relationship.
– Use various textbooks, YouTube, audiobooks for languages and past papers for practice.

Justice said that parents should also support their kids by giving them ample time to study without any household distractions and monitor their work throughout from the beginning of the year.

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