Commitment, Hard Work & Perseverance Pays

by Zusakhe Noganta
(Port Elizabeth)

There was a small boy from Centane village in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, he grew up with the mentality that his grandmother was his biological mother.

At the age of 10 he noticed that there was a grave in the garden and asked the elders whose grave is that, he was told that it’s his daddy’s grave.

That’s when he was told that his father died while he was still three years old and his mother is still alive working as a teacher in the province. Apparently his his parents were happily married until the death of his father.

The boy with his four cousins was sent to study in township because his grandmothers believed the village schools were not offering a good education as compared to the ones in the townships. They were staying in shacks (mikhukhwini) but were studying in the township.

The boy (Diliza) was the second youngest in the group of two boys and three girls. On their first year staying away from home the youngest girl got sick and went back to the village and the following year the other girl did not return because she was also home sick.

This meant that Diliza was going to be the youngest staying with his two other cousins. Time went by and it was difficult times for her grandmother because the poor old lady was not working, she was selling sweets, chips and small groceries in the village, the mother of his cousins was working in a funeral parlor as a rap and sometimes she was not paid her monthly wages, and the business was not doing enough in rural areas to feed, buy uniforms and school fees for the children who were studying in the township.

Three years later his grandmother qualified for the old age grant form government, and that boosted the family financial status but not enough because children were progressing academically which meant more money was needed to buy uniforms, pay fees and other things needed by the children.

It was difficult times for the grandmother and the whole family. The other boy dropped out of school and went to work in a taxi industry and those were not good news for the grandmother as she had hope that her grandchildren were going to study and get educated one day. This meant that there were two left staying in the sharks and studying in the township. Diliza was very good in soccer and he was a crowed favorite at school even teachers noticed him.

Four years later the other one left and it was only Diliza who was left studying there, out of the struggle that the boy had he thought of his mother whom he heard that she is working as a teacher. He saw and noticed that his grandmother was going through hard time, he then got a connection to his mother. He was looking for his mother because he wanted to take load off his grandmother, he knew that his mother was going to afford. He looked for his mother and after five months he finally met the good looking and gorgeous lady.

He hugged his mother but did not believe that he was born by a successful lady like that, but in actual fact that was his mother. Diliza was 15 years old then, on the first day her mother promised to take him to better schools and buy better clothes. Those were good news for Diliza who never got new clothes not unless it’s Christmas. The boy was half happy because he was always thinking about his grandmother all the time.

Even her grandmother was not that happy because she thought that Diliza will be gone forever with his mother. The boy had a good time with his mother but his mother did not want the boy to go and visit his grandmother something they always had a fight over because the boy wanted to visit his grandmother.

Three years later his mother got married to another man, that’s when the problem started. Two years into the marriage Diliza was fired and shown the door by the happy couple, other than the issue of visiting his grandmother there was no valid reason as to why Diliza was chased away from the rich family, he was chased away while he was doing first year and did not have money to pay for his varsity fees. Even his grandmother would not afford to pay such fees. This meant that Diliza was going back to his old poor and struggling family.

He was given clear instructions that he is not allowed to come back again to the house of the rich happy couple, he went to his old family with tears in his eyes, thinking about the treatment he is going to get now after he went to his rich mother. Some in fact most family members did not understand it when Diliza went to his mother. He went back disappointed because he had hope that after meeting his mother better and goodies of life will come to him but the opposite happened.

The boy was thinking about the R13 640 tuition fee that he was suppose to pay at varsity in order for him to progress to the next varsity level. When he arrived home the poor pretended as if everything was fine, he pretended to be happy and did not tell anyone, instead after the holiday he took his bag back to school as usual and his grandmother gave him R200 as a pocket money.

The boy went back to the varsity not knowing who will pay the fees. It was July and students were allowed to continue the year and pay before they register the following year, therefore in that way the boy continued until December. December he went to his grandmother stayed there and pretended as if everything was fine. He even said his mother sent regards to the family and wished them a happy Christmas, all those were his stories because he did not want his family to know about what happened.

January he went back to school and because of his academic performance the principal offered to pay the debt in his behalf, thus allowed Diliza to register for the following year. It was not easy for him because there was no one giving him money; his grandmother thought that his mother was paying everything because she was not told of what was going on. His mother did not care whether he was studying or not, eat or not, survived or not, she did not care. It was not easy for the boy but he tried to push himself, however there were times that he wanted to give up but continued. He struggled at varsity badly, there was a time where the poor boy even got sick, some said it was stress and some said it was the start of stroke. The doctors did not know and did not tell.

Through perseverance the boy managed to finish his degree and during his final year he was voted into student leadership by students. That motivated him to continue with his studies and do honors of his degree, when was serving in student leadership he was getting luxury benefits like cell phone, laptops, meals and others. Life was going good for the poor boy and he was a well known person at the varsity. Student liked his leadership style because he was respectful and humble, was willing to help people at all times.


He went on the register for masters and got work in one of the big South African companies. He is now working there and called his mother thanking her for everything she has done for him. He is now a well known respectable man by academics and by general students in his varsity.

This true story simple tells us that at times it’s wise that we move away from our comfort zone and face the real world. Dedication and hard work really pays who knows what had happened had this boy stayed in that rich family.

Because six years later his mother was divorced by the rich businessman.