Raised by poor single mom, Mlevo Siyaya aced 30 distinctions on way to Phd degree
Your disadvantaged upbringing should not determine the rest of your life. This is Durban University of Technology (DUT) lecturer and PhD student Mvelo Siyaya’s motto.
His inspirational story is testament to that.
Siyaya, 27, who lectures in auditing and taxation, grew up in Vryheid with his grandparents, while his mother worked as a domestic worker.
He and his seven cousins survived on his grandparents’ pension. Coming from an impoverished family did little to thwart his determination as he went on to achieve more than he thought he was capable of.
At times, my school shoes would be torn and I would still have to wear them, but I understood the situation back home and persisted.
Mlevo Siyaya
When Siyaya left home on the 13 January 2014 with just his taxi fare, hope and a love for education, little did he know that in May 2017 he will graduate from Durban University of Technology with 30 distinctions.
Raised by his mother, Mvelo relied on his mum’s domestic worker salary and on his grandmother’s monthly pension.
When Mvelo received the news that he had been granted a place to study at DUT, he was very excited. However, when he was planning to register at DUT in January 2014, his mother could not raise sufficient funds to cover the cost of his education, yet he still persisted.
“I remember when I left home, the only thing that I wanted was to further my studies, even though I didn’t have money for registration or accommodation,” said Siyaya.
Although he left Vryheid with nothing, he later returned with his National Diploma in Internal Auditing.
Since I didn’t know anyone in Durban nor did I have money, I had to sleep in the 24-hour section of the library until the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) approved my application for funding.
Mlevo Siyaya
Even prior to studying at DUT, the 22-year-old passed his grade 12 with four distinctions out of seven subjects. Unhappy about his Senior Certificate results, he committed himself to making sure that he passes all of his subjects with distinction during his time at DUT.
“I had 10 subjects for each year and in all of my three years at DUT, I have been getting distinctions for every subject.
“Dedicating my time to my studies really helped me because when NSFAS could not fully fund me for my tuition, I qualified for the DUT remission ( which is a merit award for students that qualify to receive other bursaries or scholarships provided that they have an aggregate of 75% or more for each of their instructional offering for the year of study),” added Siyaya.
When asked what motivated him to obtain such remarkable academic results, Siyaya said it was his background and his hope for a better future for his family.
Growing up, I watched my mother and grandmother struggle to make sure that my six cousins and I had food, that we were clothed and that we went to school like all of the other children.
Mlevo Siyaya
“Although my mum was sceptical of me leaving Vryheid for Durban in 2014, I promised her that our way out of poverty is through me,” said Siyaya.
As a child, Siyaya did not see education as an avenue for success and was a “normal” boy whose focus was having fun with his friends.
It was only when he reached high school that he was encouraged to pay attention to his studies by teachers who saw and brought out his potential.
As a result, he achieved exceptional results in Grade 12, becoming the first member of his family to earn a matriculation certificate. After finishing high school, he was not sure which career to pursue and opted for a teaching course at the University of Zululand.
When I got there, I realised that I had no passion or interest in it because it was not challenging in the way I was expecting. In matric, I tutored other students, so this propelled me to always be ahead of the syllabus.
Mlevo Siyaya
“Through that, I found out the huge potential I had, but in studying teaching, I realised that it was not for me,” said Siyaya.
He sought another challenge and applied for a diploma in auditing at DUT.
“It was scary leaving UniZulu behind and needing money to register for a different course. I knew it would put a strain on my struggling family. But I had the passion to go through with it despite the difficulty.”
When he reached the institution, his NSFAS application had not been approved, so he could not get accommodation. Without any relatives in Durban, he resorted to sleeping in the 24-hour library.
To his shock, he had to sleep there for a week awaiting the NSFAS money for registration to go through. He said he could not call home and inform them that things were not going well because he did not want to alarm them.
I pretended that everything was fine when they called, but in reality, I was struggling and depressed.
Mlevo Siyaya
Siyaya went on to earn distinctions across the board. After he got his BTech, he wanted to go practise auditing and change his family’s fortune.
However, he was approached by the faculty dean, who had been impressed by his academic record and encouraged him to continue studying.
“I did not know what decision to make, go work and provide for my family or stay in academia. I chose to stay because I would study whilst earning. I got my Master’s and became a lecturer. Now I am working towards my PhD,” he added.
The high achiever’s greatest influence was his late grandfather, who he said was not formally educated but was intelligent. He did not understand his life lessons and values as a child, but they began to make sense as an adult.
His impact had a tremendous impact on me. An education can give you qualifications, but it can not give you certain values and morals that you need to live by and grow holistically as an individual.”
Mlevo Siyaya
He said his greatest accomplishment was building a home for his family. According to Siyaya, one should believe in oneself no matter how difficult the circumstances may be in order to achieve one’s dreams.
- Source: Durban University of Technology & IOL
S’bo Parker has 4 years experience writing and curating verified entry-level jobs, internships, bursaries and career resources for South African youth. Every month, Scholarly Africa reaches at least 1 million job-seekers in South Africa alone. S’bo is also a lover of electric vehicles andclean energy, and a climate science enthusiast. Find her thrilling articles on Climativa.com.