Your disadvantaged upbringing should not determine the rest of your life. This is DUT lecturer and PhD student Mvelo Siyaya's motto.
His inspirational story is testament to that.
Siyaya, 27, who lectures in auditing and taxation, grew up in Vryheid with his grandparents, while his mother worked as a domestic worker.
He and his seven cousins survived on his grandparents' pension. Coming from an impoverished family did little to thwart his determination as he went on to achieve more than he thought he was capable of.
“At times, my school shoes would be torn and I would still have to wear them, but I understood the situation back home and persisted,” he said.
As a child, Siyaya did not see education as an avenue for success and was a “normal” boy whose focus was having fun with his friends.
It was only when he reached high school that he was encouraged to pay attention to his studies by teachers who saw and brought out his potential.
As a result, he achieved exceptional results in Grade 12, becoming the first member of his family to earn a matriculation certificate. After finishing high school, he was not sure which career to pursue and opted for a teaching course at the University of Zululand.
“When I got there, I realised that I had no passion or interest in it because it was not challenging in the way I was expecting. In matric, I tutored other students, so this propelled me to always be ahead of the syllabus. Through that, I found out the huge potential I had, but in studying teaching, I realised that it was not for me,” said Siyaya.
He sought another challenge and applied for a diploma in auditing at DUT.
“It was scary leaving UniZulu behind and needing money to register for a different course. I knew it would put a strain on my struggling family. But I had the passion to go through with it despite the difficulty.”
When he reached the institution, his NSFAS application had not been approved, so he could not get accommodation. Without any relatives in Durban, he resorted to sleeping in the 24-hour library.
To his shock, he had to sleep there for a week awaiting the NSFAS money for registration to go through. He said he could not call home and inform them that things were not going well because he did not want to alarm them.
“I pretended that everything was fine when they called, but in reality, I was struggling and depressed.”
Siyaya went on to earn distinctions across the board. After he got his BTech, he wanted to go practise auditing and change his family's fortune.
However, he was approached by the faculty dean, who had been impressed by his academic record and encouraged him to continue studying. “I did not know what decision to make, go work and provide for my family or stay in academia. I chose to stay because I would study whilst earning. I got my Master’s and became a lecturer. Now I am working towards my PhD,” he added.
The high achiever's greatest influence was his late grandfather, who he said was not formally educated but was intelligent. He did not understand his life lessons and values as a child, but they began to make sense as an adult.
“His impact had a tremendous impact on me. An education can give you qualifications, but it can not give you certain values and morals that you need to live by and grow holistically as an individual.”
He said his greatest accomplishment was building a home for his family. According to Siyaya, one should believe in oneself no matter how difficult the circumstances may be in order to achieve one’s dreams.
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