Young professionals who have battled the odds and clawed their way out of poor communities to make a success of their lives inspired Fisantekraal’s youth at a career day last week.
Finance MEC Dr Ivan Meyer and DA proportional representative councillor Joseph Witbooi were the special guests at the event, run by the Waumbe Fisantekraal Youth Development Centre, at the Fisantekraal community hall on Saturday June 10.
The young professionals spoke about their fields of study, what their jobs involved and career opportunities.
The centre’s Mauricia Abdol said the aim was to instil “a sense of hope” in the youth and open their eyes to opportunities.
“We wanted the youth of Fisantekraal to leave the event with not only information on tertiary and professional life but also a renewed sense of purpose and confidence in their ability to rise beyond their circumstances and achieve purposeful success,” she said.
Fisantekraal’s Mava Ngqwala is studying education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
“Being a teacher has been my calling from an early age,” he said.
He told the youth it was never too late for them to follow their dreams.
Busisiwe Mathonsi grew up in Dunoon, and she is now an attorney and an entrepreneur.
“Whatever circumstances one faces, perseverance and persistence open doors that are otherwise seen as impossible,” she said.
Waumbe – the word means “empower them” in Swahili – has been in Fisantekraal since 2014.