Finding the heart of Grahamstown
Khuthala Nandipha
The missing middle, and a shortage of affordable student accommodation, are not new in Grahamstown. tells of how she came to Grahamstown as a 16-year-old in 1999 to register at Rhodes only to learn that her funding excluded residence accommodation. What happened next turned cold disappointment and alienation into warmth and a sense of belonging, in an example of the synergy and humanity of the Grahamstown community.
Do not let me walk this road alone. My first day at Rhodes University was the worst day of my life. I did not have the luxury of being escorted by my parents. As a pint-sized 16-year-old who had never travelled outside East London, I was geared up for my bright future prospects. I was about to enrol in one of the most respected universities in the world, a first for my family.
The awe of laying my eyes on the architectural perfection that is the Rhodes campus was quickly replaced with a gutting disappointment.
At registration, I was informed that I had qualified for the Tertiary Education Funding for South Africa (Tefsa), but they would only fund my tuition.
This meant I was expected to pay for my own residential fees.
I knew immediately that this was not possible. The irony of this realisation was that I had a rich father who worked as Human Resource manager for one of the biggest companies in the country. My education, however, was not high up on his list of his priorities. I belonged to no pre-defined category.
I plonked myself on the stairs of the main administration building pondering my predicament. Students came and left, and at sunset, flanked by my bag full of dreams, a stranger who wanted to know if I was okay woke me up. I told him my story and he insisted that I come home to the township with him to his family for supper and a bed for the night. It is strange now, in retrospect, how his offer never scared me. His name is Kidwell Mdoda.
The next day his wife, Precious Mdoda, organised me a room to rent in a beautiful family home in Kowie Street owned by a working class family. They had two children, a 4-year-old daughter, Ziyanda, and a boy, Ntsika, who was in his early teens. They accepted the arrangement that I will pay rent much later. The plan was to apply for the student fund again and plead my case.
Months into my comfortable and stress-free time with this family, my application was denied, again. The family sat me down and expressed an amazing understanding and patience, pleading with me to focus on my studies and pay the rent when I can.
At 16, I had all the typical drama of a teenager, despite being a stranger in someone’s home. The audacity right. They handled my first year waywardness the same way they would have if I were their daughter. They cooked for me (an amazing cook she is); my laundry was washed, ironed and folded on my bed. I tagged along to family gatherings; I met the extended family in Joza.
A year later I was awarded a Rhodes University bursary, which afforded me the amazing opportunity of paying back this family. I stayed on with them for an additional year before I moved into Canterbury House.
Kidwell, Precious Mdoda and Nokhuselo Menze are now proud staffers of Rhodes University. I graduated within the stipulated three years and I have worked as a Journalist and Communicator all over the country over the past 15 years.
I could never fully repay these two families for their kindness, warmth and humanity. I wish this kind of generosity on every single child whose future may be stifled by what ought to be an insignificant part of humanity: money.
WATCH THE VIDEO
bit.ly/GrocMenze • Leading the Vision is a series by significant Grahamstown players meaningfully contributing to key areas of growth and transformation in education, economic development, arts and culture and local governance. Khuthala Nandipha is a BA Journalism Graduate ( 1999- 2001) who works in Rhodes University’s Communications and Advancement Division.
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