Cape Town - Three young South African women have risen above difficult circumstances exacerbated by the Covid-19 lockdowns and set their sights on IT careers in the fields of science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM).
Glory Matshete, 28, from Brits in the North West, Sibaxolise Mningiswa, 20, from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape and Maishibe Thobela, 20, are all in their second year of a three-year Bachelor of Information Technology degree at South African ITversity Belgium Campus, sponsored by the Datatec Education and Technology Foundation.
“I grew up in a little village called Rivala in Limpopo,” says Matshete. “I was very shy and didn’t really know how to interact with people, so I always felt very alone. My folks struggled financially but somehow we made a plan as a family.”
Mningiswa also struggled with self-confidence, and said she felt her career choices were limited: “It was doctor, teacher, nurse or lawyer, and none of those interested me.”
It was at this moment that Mningiswa developed an insatiable curiosity and interest to kno what was going on behind the computer screen. Because of this curiosity Mningiswa began computer lessons. “I was more interested in the how than anything else.”
For Thobela, it was just a question of where she fitted in. “There was a stage in life when I thought I would become a professional tennis player after winning a few tournaments.” After hearing about her friend’s experiences who was studying IT, Thobela realised that IT was the best option to allow her to pursue her real passion, that of being an entrepreneur.
For these young women, navigating the lockdown hasn’t been easy.
It wasn’t a trouble-free transition, with the challenges of lack of equipment and a stable power supply, unreliable internet connectivity and sometimes unaffordable data. “The change from quiet campus life to studying back at home with my folks and family in the background was a big one,” admits Glory. But failure simply wasn’t an option. “My mother was really my champion. Every time life knocks her down, she just gets back up and tries once more.” It’s this resilience, learned from her elders, that Glory believes will allow her to achieve practically anything she’s willing to work for.
For Sibaxolise, there was self-doubt and procrastination: not having the person-to-person support of her study mates, she had to find a way of muscling up self-motivation. To manage her overall workload, plotting a timetable and then actually actioning it (rather than “using it for decoration”, she jokes) made a big difference. “Talking to my mom, listening to Steve Harvey and watching TED Talks also helped.” If she was unsure of something in her coursework, she’d take a picture of what she was grappling with and email it to her lecturer, who would guide her.
It was time management and navigating distractions that challenged Maishibe. “Being locked down at home came with household responsibilities, which meant that I had less of my own time. I had to negotiate with my parents so that they understood that my academics were my priority.” That said, her father, with his steadfast work ethic and desire to see others succeed, enabled her to keep focus, says Maishibe, whose life goals are “to make a difference in other people’s lives, along with becoming the most generous person ever”.
Wilna de Villiers, marketing and communications manager for the Datatec Group says, “We’re so proud of Glory, Sibaxolise and Maishibe, who passed their first year with flying colours and have done exceptionally well so far in their second year at Belgium Campus under really difficult circumstances. Studying towards an Information Technology degree takes huge commitment and dedication, and we hope their stories will inspire many other women to choose STEM-related careers, which are so desperately needed in our country.”
IOL TECH