Akanyang Gontse swallowed big chunks of pride to go from being a university graduate to weeding people’s gardens.
Gontse, from Hertzogville in the Free State, holds a BSc degree in hydrology and water resource management from the Central University of Technology.
Lack of job opportunities saw him having to approach households and offer to clean their yards.
“It was hard,” he said about the experience.
“As a university graduate, it was quite humbling, but I had to make a living. I also assisted students with their schoolwork to keep busy, and that also helped because it kept me away from negativity.”
Having lost both his parents when he was very young, Gontse strived to make a success of his life.
“I applied for the Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu Scholarship Fund, and I studied from 2017 until I graduated in 2020. I lost my mother when I was only seven years old, and six years later, when I was 13 years old, I lost my father. I was therefore determined to study and make a better life for myself,” Gontse said proudly.
Gontse was among many other graduates who received internship contracts from the Free State provincial government led by premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae at the Ferdi Meyer Hall in Welkom.
They have been placed in several municipalities in the province to assist with challenges.
“I have been placed in the water and sanitation unit in the Masilonyana local municipality in the Lejweleputswa district, and I, together with those I work with, am expected to come up with solutions to some of the challenges we have been grappling with. It is a challenge that I relish, and hopefully, we will soon be able to address all these challenges and our municipality as well,” he said.
“The government has made an investment in these young people, and we are pleased to see them contributing to the growth of our province. We wish them the best,” said Letsoha-Mathae.
Meanwhile, Katleho Tshabalala, another graduate, said he is appreciative of the opportunity given to him. Tshabalala, a mechanical engineering graduate from Motheo Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college in Bloemfontein, has been placed at Nala local municipality.
“I drove children to and from school because I could not find employment. Currently, I work under the tutelage of an experienced motor mechanic, and I fix municipal cars. I really am grateful,” Tshabalala said.
Sowetan
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