KAMVA Jevula’s life took a turn when he decided to change his friends.
Through his high school journey, Kamva (22) from Pimville in Soweto, found himself influenced by his previous friends to behave in a manner that was out of character.
Some of these bad habits included smoking in the toilets during school hours, bunking classes, and not paying attention to his studies.
But when he found himself repeating grades 10 and 11, he decided to ditch his old circle in matric for newfound buddies.
These new friends would later see him get his life on track, prioritise his studies, and bag a diploma pass for his 2023 National Senior Certificate (NSC).
“My teachers told me smoking is not good for me and I decided to quit and turn my life around. I wouldn't have received a diploma pass if I hadn’t changed my life. Today my teachers congratulated me unlike my other friends who were smoking in the toilets,” he said.
Kamva said he depended on his new friends for support, and his family helped him throughout his matric year.
“Although my mum is in the Eastern Cape, I stay with my older brother, and both were supportive. They even got me a study guide which helped me pass mathematics and for that, I’m grateful to my family and friends who were always by my side.”
He said he plans to further his studies in civil engineering at a TVET college.
Kamva was not the only one willing to change his life around.
Lesego Nhlapo (21), also from Pimville, rewrote her matric twice, hoping to upgrade her marks to qualify for a sport management qualification at a higher institution.
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Being raised by a single mother and having to look at her sick gogo, Lesego, who is the only child, was faced with a decision to step up and show up for her family.
“I must look after my grandmother. She has Parkinson's disease (a disease affecting parts of the brain associated with normal movements and balance so she can’t do anything for herself. I bathed and took her to the bathroom.”
She also did house chores such as cooking and cleaning the house and still managed to pass her matric.
She wants to be a businesswoman and study abroad.
Another rewriter, Mapaseka Mosikare (28), said she upgraded her English marks to study tourism, but it wasn’t to be, as she didn’t get the mark she hoped for.
But for Mapaseka, the journey doesn’t end here. She is also the store manager at Maponya Mall.
She plans on rewriting her matric again until she gets the marks she wants.
The class of 2023 scored 82,9%, the highest pass rate since the dawn of democracy.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga released these results on Thursday afternoon, 18 January, in Randburg, north of Joburg.
Tshwarelo Kubatsi (18) is beaming with excitement after achieving seven distinctions.
The 18-year-old Tshwarelo has been accepted to study actuarial science at Wits University.
