Through Thick and Thin

Born and bred in Sterkspruit, the rural areas of Eastern Cape, somewhere between the Free State Province and Port Elizabeth. Mzwandile Zwakala* has made it through thick and thin and no family member thought he will get to where he is today. Zwakala 1985, an original brilliant young Xhoza man, who had a very difficult childhood as a vigilant boy due to family ignorance, believe system and lack of education by his parents.

Zwakala`s parents were very primitive and never attended any school in their upcoming, and therefore had no idea about education. As a results Zwakala was faced with the conflict of interest as someone who grew up during the times when schooling was regarded as important means preparing for the bright future. But under the guidance of uneducated parents, Zwakala`s goal seemed very far fetched.

Worst of all, Zwakala`s parents believed only in cultural practices as the ideal ways of making it in life and regarded education as useless most especially for men (Amadoda in Xhoza Language). His parent also inherited the same legacy from their great fore parents who played a major role in modeling how his parents grew up too. However, Zwakala was the first exception in the family to show interest for education.

In acknowledging the challenges that he might have been facing, he had to inject himself with power and passion to push through and persevere against all odds. His quest for a change and transformation were sufficient motivation and pillar of strength to pull through. His parents expected him to follow their footsteps all the way but he had his own future dreams and plan which were mysterious as according to his parents.

After completing his primary education, his parents expected him to go to tradition school for circumcision. This as per his parent`s believe system, was of the most paramount importance for him to do, so as to be a complete traditional Xhoza man. Nevertheless, Zwakala wanted more of modern education than what his parents thought of, and that is where the conflict surfaced.

Simply because change is always resisted, Zwakala`s journey was not a smooth sale through. His father decided to withdraw his financial assistance when Zwakala proceeded to the high school level as he was regarded as an insubordinate child. Nonetheless, Zwakala`s determination for the change and education also carried him even against all these.

He had to come up with a plan to conquer his challenges in order to achieve his goals. On his own, Zwakala bravely went to the high school of his choice and that was Emlangeni High School*. He registered and enrolled, promising to pay up the first quarter fees towards the end of the quarter. When that time came, all parents then paid up for their children school fees but not Zwakala`s parents.

However, as young as he was, he had to approach the Head Master and explained his problem of conflicting interest with his parents. Then the head Master gave him a benefit of doubt and Zwakala managed to sit for the first quarter test together with other students. After the results of the first quarter test were published Zwakala was one of the top most performing students with all A+ Marks, except in accounting as it was a new subject in his life. This was his first break through.

Zwakala`s first impression to the head Master did not mean that all his transformation and education challenges were over, but for the change the Head Master solicited scholarship for him. Also Zwakala was faced with the challenge of what to wear and eat as his parents made it clear that they will no longer contribute into all these foreign useless things that Zwakala was following.

Very fortunately, during his tenure at high school, Zwakala was a talented young man who became lucky to be selected as choir conductor in three choirs thus; from school, at church and at community level. Therefore he benefited by pocketing a few bucks from each choir to make a living and to survive the struggle of learning with an empty stomach.

“I had to influence the spirit of hosting concerts and completions in choral choirs where money will be exchanged between the choirs. So during the concerts and the completions I would steal at least R100 from each choir so that I can put some bread on the table,” said Zwakala. He lived all his high school life in that way until he completed.

After completing and performing well at high school his parents thought Zwakala was now too much educated and it is high time for him to get back home for marriage and start working and taking care of family responsibility. But according to Zwakala that was just the beginning.

The situation got worse at home for Zwakala as he was named all derogative names like “the big headed, the prodigal son, the alien” and many more. At times, he would be sidelined from the important family activities. But all these could not manage to distract Zwakala`s focus on his mission.

Asked whether his parents ended up giving up him or not; Zwakala showed that, he realised that they were now about to disown him, and laughingly he said, “Man in order to reconnect with my father firstly, I had to go to the initiation school in mountains.” While he was in there, his father instructed him to join him at Golden Mines in Free State immediately after the initiation school. “But I told him that there is high possibility that I might be admitted at University of the Free State where I have a plan to further my studies,” Said Zwakala.

“I read the agony on my father’s face that he did not like the sound of my answer but it was a fact,” said Zwakala. Indeed after accomplishing his father`s will, he left home to further his studies. According to him, no one from his entire family had ever been recognized as educated. “I was the first one to make a new family record of completing primary education, and high school education, I made a history in the family,” Said Zwakala.

“At the stage that I am right now, the sky is the limit, nothing will ever stand on my way, I went through the toughest challenges that made me the icon of change that I am today,” he smiled. Currently, Zwakala is a final year student in the faculty of the Economics and management, whose academic record is proving his burning desire to bring about change and family transformation in his family.

Asked where does he sees himself in the period of five years from now, his vigilant response said, he had broken so many records in his family and “I could visualize myself in a graduation gown, not of Masters but at PHD level. And I want my family to bright themselves with the First Dr. Zwakala with me. Whether through thick and thin, but mark my words, I am going to do it,” He concludes, with his fingers crossed before his face.