LUSIKISIKI SCHOOLGIRL’S JOURNEY CULMINATES IN LECTURERING APPOINTMENT

Running a tuckshop, selling masks during  COVID-19, styling hair, and knitting products were among the ventures Xolelwa Gamndana took on while studying.

Now appointed as a lecturer at iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu, Gamndana graduated with a Master of Commerce in Business Management at the institution’s Spring Graduation.

The graduate from Nyathi A/A, Mnqezi village in Lusikisiki is the first member of her family to earn a degree, having pursued her education while raising children and finding different ways to support herself financially.

“What kept me going was the belief that education was my pathway to a better life, one that would secure my children’s future and uplift my family. Running these different ventures taught me to be resourceful and to work with what I had. I learned that when one opportunity is not available, you have to be willing to create another,” she said.

Raised in a family of nine children, Gamndana started school at the age of eight because there were no nearby educational facilities. She often walked long distances and crossed rivers to attend school.

Gamndana’s journey was also shaped by the loss of her father and becoming a mother at 17.

Despite the responsibilities of young motherhood, she continued her studies, completing a Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Honours degree and eventually her Master’s.

Her Master’s research, titled Examining the Role of Rural Entrepreneurship in Enhancing Economic Resilience in Mnquma Local Municipality, Eastern Cape, examined how rural entrepreneurship can contribute to sustainable development and economic resilience.

Along the way, she volunteered, tutored and served as a student assistant at iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu, experiences that contributed to her development as an academic and eventually to her appointment as a lecturer. She is also a published academic.

“Becoming a lecturer and a published academic means so much to me. As the first graduate in my family, I carry not only my own success but also the hopes of my siblings and the generations that came before me. I am grateful that my journey can show my family what is possible,” she said.

Speaking directly to young women, she said: “Do not allow one chapter of your life to convince you that your story is over. You are still capable of achieving your dreams, building a career and creating a better future for yourself and your children.”