It is true that no one is ever too old to learn. Sanelisiwe Nqeketho, a 28-year-old makoti (newlywed) from Ngqeleni who excelled in Grade 12, is having trouble finding a university.
She applied to several universities, including Walter Sisulu University, where she said she was rejected. She also said that Mpumalanga rejected her since the Grade 12 results used there were those from 2012, which were less than stellar. She reveals she is still unable to contact the University of Mpumalanga in order to resolve this issue. Even though she was told by the University of Venda that she qualified since her grades meet the requirements, they will not accept her because of her home language, isiXhosa.
Nqeketho from Gxulu in Libode is a mother of two children who is married to someone from Ndungunyeni in Ngqeleni. She attended the Mazizini Senior Secondary School in Bolotwa, Dutywa, where she was a student, much like the other children. She claims that her attending school was unknown in her village and that she deliberately chose to move to the Dutywa villages in order to avoid anything that would obstruct her goals. When the matric results were out in January, she said that many people learned that she was schooling.
Nqeketho asserts she would be lying about the pupils and teachers at Mazizini if she claimed differently because they never criticised her for a single day because she was the eldest in the class, she was like other pupils, and they supported her.
“In 2012, I received an H, which bothered me very much. What motivated me to return to the desk after a long time was the fact that I was dismissed from my previous work, which was unpleasant, and I realized that there is no life here, and I will never fulfil my childhood dream of becoming a teacher as long as I am still here, and I still have the 2012 matric results, which were not good,” Nqeketho stated.
The newlywed spoke to this publication about her difficult journey and how challenging it was to balance being a student with being a wife and a mother.
“I was making every effort. Every time I had a day off, I would go to my in-laws and provide a hand here and there before returning to school.
“I recall that during the time of the final exams, there was going to be a homecoming ceremony on the 26th, and I had to leave the books and return home on the 23rd. At that time, I was writing on the 25th and 28th. I was resting during the day and studying at night. I would go to bed at 1am,” the newlywed stated.
She believes that she would not have been able to fulfil her dream of returning to school without the help of her husband and family. She states that because she knew why she was returning to school, her age did not present a barrier for her. She says that she disregarded the saying “what will people say.”
Despite writing it because she was preoccupied with her wifely responsibilities during the homecoming ceremony, she received level 5 in agriculture.
This young woman was able to get four distinctions. Here are her results:
English level 7
IsiXhosa level 7
History level 7
Life Orientation level 7
Agriculture level 5.
Ubomi ejele kutata owadlwengula unyana wakhe ona-8