Three remarkable female Bachelor of Laws students, Ms Cebile Mashele, Ms Cashmia Singh and Ms Coleen Naik were awarded the Malegapuru W. Makgoba Scholarship.
Mashele, who hails from the rural village of Mogogelo in the North-West province, said that adjusting to a new environment so far from home was not easy. However, she embraced the challenge with determination.
‘I was raised by a single dad with the help of my grandparents so you can imagine how hard I had to convince them to let me move from province to province to pursue my studies after matric,’ said Mashele.
‘My registration was a struggle, but by the end of February I was financially cleared and formally registered to study at this prestigious institution. While I had a delayed start in my academic year, I told myself that UKZN has given me an opportunity to be someone in life and I dare not waste it because my failure would be taken for ungratefulness and that is how I managed to get out of my shell, communicate with people more and put in some work towards my studies,’ she added.
With aspirations of becoming an internationally recognised advocate, Mashele says that the scholarship validates her dreams.
‘The scholarship came at the perfect time as this year has not been the greatest financially and there are certain opportunities that I was forced to forfeit due to financial constraints. So, I am truly grateful and it will surely assist in my studies. It will also enable me to take opportunities that will boost my career.’
For Singh who hails from Pietermaritzburg, studying at UKZN and being awarded the scholarship has been life changing.
‘During the COVID-19 pandemic my family lost our house and the death of family members and friends weighed heavily. It was a real struggle to find light at the end of the tunnel. Coming to UKZN really helped me in more ways than I can describe. Meeting like-minded people and finding my niche really helped me feel like I had found a place where I belong and UKZN soon became like a second home. The scholarship came at a time where I really needed the financial assistance. It has lifted a great burden from my family and I am extremely grateful for this blessing,’ she said.
Looking to the future, Singh aspires to pursue a legal career as an attorney.
Naik, who also hails from Pietermaritzburg and had to work full-time and study part-time so that she could pursue her LLB, said being awarded the scholarship is a welcomed financial relief.
‘I think like most students, funding my studies was the biggest obstacle. I overcame this through delayed gratification. I worked, planned and pursued this degree much later than I would have liked but I’m grateful to finally work on this aspiration! R50 000 is an enormous amount of money because studies are incredibly expensive and this scholarship almost covers my 2024 fees. This takes a huge financial burden off my family. Thank you so much UKZN, because when hard work is acknowledged, it is immensely gratifying and motivating to keep going,’ she said.
Naik’s goal is to graduate with excellent results and to secure a candidate attorney position in an institution that values their employees and is dedicated to growing and developing future legal professionals.
Words and photograph: Ayanda Radebe