STAYING POWER

The positive stories that could save SA

● They say it takes a village to raise a child, and fourth-year University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) medical student Lindelani Sithole says he is living proof of that.

When Sithole matriculated in 2011 with exceptional marks, particularly in maths and life science, he had little chance of realising his dream of becoming a doctor as he was from a poor family and had to take care of his sick mother and grandmother as well as his younger sister.

“I moved to Durban between 2012 and 2017, where I worked as a waiter and at a car wash because I didn’t have many options,” says Sithole.

“In November 2013 I posted on Facebook that I was a student who had passed very well two years earlier but I didn’t know how to apply to do medicine because I hadn’t taken physics in school. Out of nowhere this student from UKZN Pietermaritzburg answered me and said: ‘Find some money right now and take a taxi to PMB [Pietermaritzburg] campus and I will assist you.’”

A sceptical Sithole left his home in Mooi River to meet the stranger, who helped him apply for the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s science, technology, engineering and maths foundation course, which would help him get the physical science marks he needed.

The following year Sithole was accepted into the programme, but he needed money to secure his place. He again turned to the village.

“I went back to my old high school and the teachers went across the school asking for donations, and with that money I was able to secure my spot,” he says.

In 2015, after excelling academically, Sithole was accepted into the UKZN medical school. He thought his financial problems were over until his bursary did not immediately start paying for his studies. Another member of the village stepped up.

“This guy, Gavin Saville, inboxed me and said he liked how positive I was and all the positive and motivational things I posted on Facebook. We eventually got to meet and I burst into tears as I told him my life story. He took me in as a son,” said Sithole.

Saville assisted Sithole with food and other necessities and helped him get his first stethoscope and laptop.

Saville, who runs a recruitment company in Pietermaritzburg, said: “I reached out to him when he was in first year because I had a big place so I offered him a place to stay. He’s very bright and I saw his potential.

“I come from a very privileged background and a racist family but I am passionate about the future of our beautiful country. My actions are driven by a struggle with stage 4 cancer that motivates me to help others less fortunate. That’s just who I am.”

I come from a very privileged background and a racist family but I am passionate about the future of our beautiful country

— Gavin Saville Who helped University of KwaZulu-Natal medical student Lindelani Sithole