Trio of women get to grips with studying during lockdown

Three young women have risen above difficult circumstances during the Covid-19 lockdown to keep up with demanding study schedules and to remain an inspiration for their families and friends.

Glory Matshete (28), from Brits in the North West, Sibaxolise Mningiswa (20), from Port Elizabeth,  and Maishibe Thobela (20), from Pretoria, are united in their thirst to make their dreams come true.

In their second year of a three-year bachelor of information technology degree at the South African ITversity Belgium Campus, sponsored by the Datatec Education and Technology Foundation, they  are aiming to carve out careers for themselves in the fields of science, technology, education and mathematics. 

Matshete said she was shy as a young child and often felt alone.

“School activities like drama became heaven for me because they allowed me to step out of my shell and show my classmates what I was really made of.”

That determined spirit became a golden thread through her school days and is still there. 

Like Matshete, Mningiswa struggled with self-confidence and although she attended good schools, she felt her career choices were limited.

“It was doctor, teacher, nurse or lawyer, and none of those interested me,” she said.

Then, in Grade 9, she began computer lessons and developed a curiosity about the subject. “I was more interested in the how than anything else.”

For the gregarious Thobela, it was just a question of where she fitted in.

Listening to the experiences of a friend who was studying at Belgium Campus, Maishibe realised that IT was the best option to allow her to pursue her passion of becoming an entrepreneur.

For these young women, navigating the lockdown landscape hasn’t been easy. But they have prevailed and the varsity scaled activities to allow students to attend lectures online.

It wasn’t a trouble-free transition.

For Mningiswa, there was self-doubt and she had to find a way to motivate herself. Managing her workload and making practical use of a timetable made a big difference.

Datatec Group marketing and communications manager Wilna de Villiers said: “We’re so proud of Glory, Sibaxolise and Maishibe, who passed their first year with flying colours and have done exceptionally well so far in their second year in really difficult circumstances.”