Roodepoort’s retired SANDF colonel obtains first degree at 69
Dhlamini said when he was in the military, he was trained to be patient and to 'lie low' when the situation requires one to do so.
Sixty-nine-year-old Roodepoort resident, Phillip Dhlamini has become a perfect example for the youth of South Africa by obtaining his first degree at the University of Limpopo.
The retired South African National Defence Force (SANDF) colonel is a living testimony that it is never too late to accomplish your life goals.
Dhlamini received his LLB degree on 6 July 2020, and although he was disappointed that due to Covid-19 restrictions there could be no graduation ceremony where he would be surrounded by family and friends, the oldest undergraduate at the University of Limpopo (UL) is still the proudest senior citizen.
“My plans now are to share my legal knowledge with the youth to help empower them just like I was empowered by those who came before me,” said Dhlamini.
The military veteran revealed to the Northsider that although he may not be in the company of his family, other military veterans and the community, he is content that his dream of becoming a lawyer is fast becoming a reality.
On 6 January 2020, Dhlamini joined the Sekati Monyane Incorporated Attorneys as a Candidate Attorney. His next milestone will be to apply for pupillage with the Johannesburg Bar or Pretoria Bar for 2021.
Dhlamini said when he was in the military, he was trained to be patient and to ‘lie low’ when the situation requires one to do so.
He enrolled at UL in 2016 as a full-time LLB student after relocating to Limpopo from Johannesburg.
“In the first two years, I passed the majority of the subjects in both semesters and carried one or two to the following year. In my third year, I carried one subject to the fourth year and completed the qualification in record time,” said the inspirational Dhlamini.
He described his experience of being a student as the most memorable of his revolutionary life, and applauded the transformation at UL as the struggle of the university’s students from its inception to date has slowly transformed it into one of the best universities on the African continent.
“Education at UL is best designed to solve African challenges, and being a Pan Africanist, the LLB degree will help me empower, educate and transfer legal knowledge to the less fortunate African masses,” concluded Dhlamini.
