Elmon Tshikhudo
In September, Matodzi Lucy Nekhubvi will receive her teaching degree – a degree it has taken her 27 years to attain.
Through lack of finances and failing her courses 52-year-old Mamalucy, as she is known at the University of Venda, has never made it to her degree in Education.
Her higher education journey started in 1994 when she registered for a BA Education degree at Univen.
But the mother of five from Khubvi outside Thohoyandou’s life journey had many obstacles.
She was raised in a poor household by her mother after her father was killed in 1975. She matriculated in 1991 and with the money she raised by doing odd jobs she managed to register at the university.
But she failed her courses and dropped out in 1997. She nonetheless never lost sight of her dream as she did piecework and managed to qualify as a cleaner and security guard and also achieved a computer certificate from Univen.
In 2013 she went back to varsity only to fail and drop out again.
It was in 2017 that she returned to varsity and this time her luck changed.
She used the little money she had saved and her children’s grant to register.
“I was getting distinctions and I qualified for NSFAS which funded my studies until I completed my degree,” said the ecstatic Mamalucy.
She passed her last examinations a week ago thus qualifying to be a teacher.
“I am happy that I finally achieved my goal. It has been quite a journey full of obstacles but it was worth it. I have only a few years left to work but I don’t regret it. It is better to be late than never to arrive at your destination,” she said.
Mamalucy has held the position of secretary in the housing department of the Student Representative Council since 2019.
