Hard work pays off: 

Class of 2018 graduation celebration 

For the past few months, institutions of higher education all over South Africa hosted their graduation ceremonies where students were officially honored and conferred with their respective qualifications. This serves as proof of how unstoppable young people can be and displays their zeal for world dominion. Grad is always a great occasion and we’ve included some wonderful graduation photos seen on social media. 

Celebrity fitness trainer, Sbahle Mpisane has obtained a bachelor’s degree in housing and town planning from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).

Actress and philanthropist, Nomzamo Mbatha graduated with a BCom Accounting degree from the University of Cape Town (UCT). She wore a dress filled with pictures of her loved ones who have passed away along with the contact numbers for the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG).

The Nelson Mandela University Law graduates, from left to right: Ruaan de Lange, Nikita Govendor & Susan Bowden.

      

   Shanel Thole and friend obtained their Psychology degree from the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

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          Simon Chisala Phiri obtained his Bachelor of Science with honours in Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

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And guess what readers, I Sibongile Vukela obtained my Journalism Diploma at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) where I am currently pursuing a BTech.

“Young people must take it upon themselves to ensure that they receive the highest education possible so that they can represent us well in future as future leaders.”- Nelson Mandela

Congratulations to the 2018 autumn graduates.

Be careful of “Fly by night” colleges

Deciding on your next step after matric can be both exciting and confusing for any young person who’s spent over 10 years in a classroom setup. We have witnessed learners braving the intense heat and blistering cold as they converge to universities to start the journey for a better life for themselves and their families. Due to limited spaces in public universities, a lot of prospective students are forced to consider private colleges in a bid to avoid taking a gap year.

We are in no way implying that colleges shouldn’t be considered as an option and depending on a student’s future plans post-tertiary, a college could offer more to a younger than a university. A lot of colleges offer qualifications that do not require a national senior certificate for enrolment and courses you can complete under 12 months.

 

There is no shortage of good private training colleges offering accredited qualifications but we have seen a gradual increase in the number of bogus/ fly-by-night institutions taking advantage of desperate youth. These bogus colleges are not registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and their qualifications not accredited by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). They operate illegally without the necessary paper work and brought heartache to thousands of students.

One victim of such colleges is Jabulile Mkhwanazi*, a 25-year-old lady with a passion for the nursing profession. To realize her dream, she used R36,000 from her father’s pension payout to register for a nursing qualification at a popular private institution. Jabulile says she couldn’t complete her studies as a result of a “misunderstanding” with the Nursing Council. “We were informed the college was in extensive consultations with the Nursing Council which resulted in us undertaking an extended course, unfortunately further investigations revealed the college was not entirely honest,” said Mkhwanazi.

She said her decision to enroll at that particular college was based on the fact that it was well-known and she could acquire her nursing diploma in 2 years. “I opted not to register at a public university because I’d have to study towards a 4-year diploma and would struggle to acquire the finances for such,” said Mkhwanazi.

Upon realization that the academy was unregistered, Mkhwanazi and her fellow classmates decided to lodge a formal complaint at a local police station while also roping in a political party. The young lady’s dreams to become a professional nurse and contribute towards healthcare were shuttered. With no money to further her studies, Jabulile is now an unskilled jobseeker.

The DHET confirmed Thuto Bophilo Nursing Academy (Pty) Ltd’s   provisional registration was cancelled on 11^th August 2014. This is the college Mkhwanazi had entrusted with her father’s pension payout.

According to DHET, all private TVET colleges and higher education institutions must be registered with  them and qualifications should be accredited by SAQA.

DHET Deputy Chief Education Specialist, Monica Motloi said the quality of education and training provided by such private education institutions and the validity of their qualifications was of great concern to the department. “We are working closely with law-enforcement agencies to bring to book private institutions operating illegally and we would like to encourage students to report them to the police,” she said.

Motloi said the police continue to conduct raids on fly-by-night colleges based on complaints and cases opened against them. She also stated that the DHET is currently undertaking a national education campaign aimed at educating the public on these colleges. “This campaign creates awareness and enhances the level of understanding for both parents and prospective students,” she explains. The campaign is further aimed at informing the public to exercise their right to demand the following information before they enter into any contractual agreements with private colleges:

• ·         Is the college registered and qualification accredited?
• ·         Can it provide a brochure with all its details, including qualifications offered?
• ·         Does it operate in suitable and safe premises with adequate space, lighting and appropriate equipment?
• ·         Can it provide full details of its academic staff and their qualifications?
• ·         How does it compare with other public colleges in terms of qualifications and services offered?
• ·         Can it provide a sample copy of a learning contract?

Any member of the public can inspect the Register of private colleges to determine   which private colleges are provisionally registered to offer continuing education and training qualifications on the following address:

www.dhet.gov.za/Resources/Registers or contact DHET at 080 087 2222.

With regard to claiming a refund from a fly-by-night college, students can approach their nearest Small Claims Court for the amount up to R15 000,00 and if the amount is above R15 000,00 they can engage an Attorney.

Photos: Google

Movie Review: Acrimony 

Tyler Perry's Acrimony is a 2018 American psychological thriller film produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry. The film follows a loyal wife who decides to take revenge on her unfaithful husband.

Cast: Taraji P. Henson (Melinda), Lyriq Bent (Robert), Jazmyn Simon (June) & Crystle Stewart (Diana)

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 have seen a lot of films but this particular movie is something else. Melinda, a young college attending girl brought up in a middle-class family, falls in love with a poor fellow student whose father happens to be a prisoner. The young man named Robert suffered a tragedy as a result of his mom dying when he was very young, which has resulted in him living all alone in a recreational vehicle (RV).

During the course of the movie, Melinda’s mom passes away and Robert is there for her. She falls deeply in love with him and loses her virginity to the young man. Melinda inherits a home and receives money left behind by her late mother. She informs Robert about the inheritance, which does not go down well with her sisters, they are not very fond of her boyfriend. Robert sees this as a ticket to a better life and demands niceties from his girlfriend. Melinda buys him a car, takes him out on expensive dates and pays for his tuition.

After everything she has done him, Robert cheats on Melinda with Diana. Melinda catches them red-handed having sex in his RV. Guess what she does next? She drives her car into Robert’s RV and in the event, she unfortunately hurts herself and is admitted to the emergency room at the hospital where it is ascertained that she has sustained injuries that will prevent her from having children.

You know guys will always be guys, right? Especially when they know that they have something to benefit. Robert apologizes and the two reconcile. He proposes to Melinda with a plastic ring, imagine and they are soon married. On their wedding day, Melinda’s sisters do not pitch because they are not happy about their relationship, they could see Robert was only with Melinda for her inheritance and the cheating hasn’t earned him any brownie points.

When Robert finally graduates from college, Melinda is happy believing life will improve because he will find a job and will contribute financially. Melinda has two jobs she is not very fond of but carries out her duties because she does not have a choice. It is not easy for Robert to get a job because of his shoplifting conviction at age 15 which resulted in him obtaining a criminal record. The worst part is that he only informs Melinda after their marriage.

Robert decides he is going to invent a rechargeable battery and spends Melinda’s money designing it. He convinces her to mortgage her mother’s house in order to continue funding his work. It is not easy for Melinda so she agrees. It’s also not easy for Robert to make his invention a success, years go by without him getting any offers but he doesn’t give up and his patience costs them a lot of money.

For the sake of saving Melinda’s house from going under the hammer, Robert’s in-laws try to get him to work with them at a delivery service, something he is not very keen on. After much persuasion, he reluctantly takes up the offer.

Robert later reconnects with Diana, who offers to set up a meeting between him and her boss Prescott in hope of selling his battery design.

This movie will get you sucked in from the very first scene and triggers your emotions. I would recommend everyone to go see it. I also believe this is the best Tyler Perry movie with Taraji P. Henson is the best person to play Melinda character.

One man’s trash is another man’s tool to change the world

Picture this, a small crane with the ability to lift a car and a fully operational windmill, both made out of trash at a landfill. This is not a scene played out in a movie about hope, dreams and poverty, it is a real-life scenario playing out right in our backyard.

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fter completing his matric, 20-year old Mpho Makutu had dreams of making it big in the technology and innovation space, which prompted his move from Kopermyn in Limpopo to the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg. In the City of Gold as it is affectionately known, Mpho enrolled for a mechanical engineering qualification at Molapo Technical College where he unfortunately had to drop out in the 2^nd year of his studies owing to financial difficulties. 

Mpho says he often went to bed on an empty stomach as a result of his dire financial situation. “I couldn’t concentrate on my studies and I found myself without a roof over my head after being kicked out over a rent dispute during exams,” he explains.

With a never say die attitude, Mpho has what it takes to claim his spot as one of South Africa’s top young innovators. All this young man needs is a chance to realize his dreams which include developing a machine to assist construction workers plaster buildings and reduce accidents on building sites. “Despite having built robots, cranes and remote-controlled cars, I unfortunately do not have the resources to work on bigger projects,” says Mpho.

His talent has seen him use scrap for his creations. “I use discarded cardboard, wires, scrap metal and basically anything I believe can be of use in landfill sites around the city,” he says. His greatest creation so far is a battery-powered robot with the capability to grab and move projects all with the touch of seven different wire levers.

Mpho has always had a passion for innovation and he can recall spending most of his childhood experimenting with robots. “When my peers were out playing with toy cars, I was on the lookout for something to build,” he says. On a good day, he makes R300.00 from demonstrating his creations to tourists along the popular Vilakazi Str in Soweto. With these daily takings, he pays rent and provides for his family.

While deeply fond of his parents, Mpho believes they don’t understand his passion for innovation owing to their age. “My parents believe all I do is play around with wires and trash, so they insist I come back home,” he explains.

Mpho believes his is a God-given talent which didn’t necessitate sitting behind a desk and conducting experiments in a science lab. “I didn’t use a manual, I simply put my brain to great use. I often have dreams about non-existent machines which prompt me to work on them when I wake up,” says Mpho.

Despite adversities he has encountered, this young man has a vision and is optimistic about the future. “I believe my greatest invention will help simplify people’s lives and make the world a better place,” concludes Mpho.