Driving Mr Khumalo
Bonga Khumalo was a driver at Unizulu, but he took advantage of a package which gives employees an opportunity to study while working.
FOR as long as he can remember, University of Zululand driver Bonga Khumalo harboured the dream of becoming a lawyer – even if the odds were stacked against him.
But with perseverance, resolve and dedication, Khumalo from Mvutshini in Mtubatuba recently graduated with a LLB degree.
At the university’s recent graduation ceremony, he was among the more than 4 000 graduates who reaped the fruits of their hard work.
Khumalo told the Zululand Observer that his break came when he was employed by the university as a driver in 2008. He took advantage of a package which gives employees an opportunity to study while working.
Challenging
Starting classes in March 2009, it was not smooth sailing as he had to attend his lectures in the evenings.
‘Every afternoon when I finished work at the Department of Procurement and Stores I had to catch a bus to the Richards Bay campus where our lectures were held.
‘From 5pm-10pm I would be in class, and after that I had to head back to KwaDlangezwa campus library to study and complete assignments until 11:30pm.
‘What kept me going was my passion for law,’ Khumalo said.
Next month he will head off to the University of KwaZulu-Natal where for the next six months he will be doing his practicals.
‘After that I will then do another year serving articles so I can become a fully-fledged lawyer,’ a proud Khumalo said.
He advises young people to know who they are, where they come from, what they want in life and where they want to go.
He believes people must always be focused and have their eyes on the prize.
