Local family plans reunion with scientist
DR TOBIAS Ntuli, a scientist with a PhD who has been on the streets, said he would still like to contribute to the world of science and to society as a whole.
Ntuli received a PhD in cell biology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2004 and seven years later, found himself on the streets.
He has admitted to being a recovering alcoholic which is the principle reason for his being homeless.
He said his passion for science had not been diminished by his current circumstances.
“I wrote three research papers last year while living on the streets and one this year,” he said. “I enjoy this thing, I really do.”
The Mercury published a story on Tuesday about Ntuli and how his alcohol addiction had landed him on the streets. The article received an overwhelming response from people wanting to help him.
“The only thing I can say I need is training on job interviews,” he said.
He had been granted interviews, but during the interview itself, he had failed to clinch the deal.
He said he would love the opportunity to contribute to the field of science and to use his passion for science to make a valuable contribution to society.
So great is his love for science that, while living in the streets, he has begun editing his second book.
Ntuli has been employed at five different places, but has lost all of those positions as a result of his addiction to alcohol.
He said his problem with addiction began in the late 1980s while he was studying medicine at the University of Cape Town. He added that it has been his Achilles heel ever since.
He was last employed in May 2011 and by December that year, had been forced to live on the streets after he had lost his job.
Following the feature on the front page of Tuesday’s Mercury, his family from Umlazi, where Ntuli was born and raised, have made contact with him and have planned a reunion.
They have asked for privacy during this time.