Graceland and Southern Highveld Community Development Trust give back to community in Secunda

SECUNDA – Five lucky youngsters in the Govan Mbeki municipal area received all-expenses paid scholarships to the value of R170 000 each.

The Southern Highveld Community Development Trust (SHCDT), a community social investment initiative of Graceland Casino, Hotel and Country Club, sponsored the scholarships.

These youngsters can now follow their dreams of obtaining a tertiary education.

The five youngsters travelled to Emperors Palace in Johannesburg to attend an induction function and receive their official scholarship letters on Friday, 24 January.

The top learner among the five was Nhlakanipho Mngomezulu, who obtained three distinctions in matric at Vukuqhakaze Secondary School.

She is now off to the University of Witwatersrand to study electrical engineering.

Nhlakanipho is one of 10 children and said she chose to study in this direction because it is a very broad course comprising of many disciplines and she believes she will get exposed to ample opportunities.

“With this bursary I will be able to fully focus on my studies and not worry about finances,” said Nhlakanipho.

“So I have no reason to fail and my mom still cannot believe that she won’t pay a cent towards my studies.

“It feels great to be granted such an opportunity.”

Philisiwe Mayaba who matriculated last year at Chief Ampie Mayisa Secondary School, said this scholarship means a lot to her family and she cannot believe it is happening.

She will study towards a BCom degree in economics and management sciences at the University of Pretoria.

She obtained one distinction in matric and said she wants to study in this direction because in the economy in South Africa there is a shortage of resources and she would be able to use research and data analysis to find innovative ways to improve the economy.

Asakhanya Maseti from Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary School chose to study towards a BSc degree in nursing at the University of Limpopo.

Angel Phakathi, also a former learner form Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary School, obtained two distinctions in matric and is off to study LLB Law at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

“When I heard I got the bursary, I was so excited because I knew that it was the beginning of my life,” said Angel.

“For my family it means everything as they know that I will begin this year smoothly and I will be mentally fit to study.”

Ellen Maseko, former matric learner at KI Twala Secondary School, is the fifth recipient and she will be studying BSc data science at the Sol Plaatje University.

Apart from having their tuition and accommodation expenses paid, the five learners will also have their books and a laptop sponsored and the trust will provide a comprehensive mentorship programme to enable these students to cope with and develop new skills during their time at university.

The trust found that they have a 85 per cent graduation rate compared to the national graduation rate of 22 per cent.

“This is exceptional considering that the learners hail from township schools,” said the trust manager, Ms Jenny Findlay.

Apart from the university scholarships, the SHCDT invests in the community in Secunda and surrounding areas yearly.

The trust also provided the ‘Go Getter’ programme that was established to ensure there is a large pool of deserving young people available to benefit from the scholarship offering and improving the chances of learners successfully completing their tertiary studies and becoming economically productive.

Another one of the trustees’ fund’s initiatives is the ‘Career Dress up’ day yearly where Grade 7 learners research, present and dress up like somebody in their chosen careers.

The trust sponsors an intern programme giving selected young people from the local TVET College an opportunity to complete the practical component of their qualification.