- A sponsor paid her tuition fees but Tanya Jakeni still needs cash to buy a plane ticket to reach Türkiye.
- The young woman plans to study overseas and return home to bring change to South African politics after her degree.
Tanya Jakeni is hunting for R40,000 to catch a flight to Türkiye and start her university degree.
The 20-year-old from KuMangati village in the Eastern Cape has represented South Africa on stages around the world. She won a debate competition against 70 countries in Finland. She took first place in a public speaking event in the United States and came third in Germany.
Now, she wants to study political science and international relations at Istanbul Gelisim University. The degree takes four years.
A sponsor named Njabulo Mabuza paid her R100,000 tuition fees. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lusufi connected her with the sponsor.
But Tanya still needs R40,000 to cover her flight, rent and food for the first few months. A direct flight costs about R15,000. She expects to pay R5,000 a month for a place to stay and up to R5,000 for groceries and transport.
Tanya started debating in 2022 at Bertharry English Private School. Her late deputy principal pushed her to join. She later helped learners at Eagles View Christian School.
She chose to study in Türkiye to learn about new cultures.
“I chose Turkey not to leave South Africa, but to better serve it,” she said.
She plans to work in diplomacy and then return home to enter South African politics.
Her single mother, Cebisa Jakeni, always put education first.
“Watching her stand at the door of an international university in Türkiye now makes me feel that we raised her right,” Cebisa said.
Many young South Africans struggle to pay for higher education. In May 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa said students owed public universities R23-billion in 2024.
At Stellenbosch University alone, 1,429 students could not get their degree certificates at the end of 2025 because they owed over R1.1-billion in fees.
