IT PAYS TO PERSEVERE

Jobs are scarce in South Africa – but sometimes hope, determination and a little luck can change lives

WEARING luminous orange overalls to ensure he was visible from a distance, Yanga Galela swept the streets of Alice in the Eastern Cape quietly resigned to his fate.

Despite holding an honours degree in criminology, he couldn’t find work in his chosen field – and a job as a street sweeper was better than no job at all, he reasoned.

He earned R60 a day, enough at least to put a little food on the table.

But fate had other plans for Yanga – and in a country where disillusionment among job-seekers is often the order of the day his story is uplifting enough to warm the hardest heart.

The 29-year-old completed his undergraduate degree in criminology at the University of Fort Hare in Alice and followed it up with an honours degree the next year. But having a varsity education didn’t necessarily mean he’d land his dream job, he found.

“I applied for many positions relevant to my qualifications but I eventually became so desperate I went for anything – it was far better than sitting at home,” he says.

His street-sweeping job at the local municipality also involved doing such tasks as cutting grass and unblocking pipes. He often came face to face with people he’d studied with at university – as well as students he’d tutored while doing his honours.

“At university I was like a big brother to them, someone they looked up to. And now here I was, sweeping the streets. They didn’t say anything but I could see the pity in their eyes.”

Then a reporter from a local newspaper heard about Yanga and wrote an article about him – and doors started to open. A representative of multinational auditing firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) called him in April 2011.

“I remember that day so clearly,” he says. “We were on a break and sitting in the shade when I received a phone call telling me they’d read the story about me and wanted me to come for an interview.”

Yanga was given an internship in East London for a year and worked on projects relating to fraud and corruption in the private and public sectors. He also furthered his studies in 2012, completing Even though he had an honours degree in criminology, Yanga Galela had to work as a street sweeper for almost a year before finally getting his big break. a diploma in forensic and investigative auditing – and two years later he was promoted to consultant.

Last year found Yanga looking for a new challenge and KPMG – another auditing giant – hired him as an investigative assistant.

In March this year he was elevated to By SHANAAZ PRINCE the position of forensic investigator.

“Leaving PWC was difficult because they were the ones who gave me my start,” Yanga says. “But I’m excited for my future career growth and development. Looking back, I can’t help but say, ‘Wow.’ It just goes to show you can’t underestimate the power of opportunity.”