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#UFSWomen: Dilahlwane Mohono: From cleaner to recipient of two honours degrees

17 August 2021 | Story Nonsindiso Qwabe | Photo Supplied

Dilahlwane copy — A story of hope, courage, resilience, and working your way to the top. Dilahlwane Mohono started working as a cleaner at the UFS in 1992. Today, she is a Senior Faculty Officer in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and holds two honours degrees.

Fuelled by her deep pain due to falling pregnant during her matric year, as well as the desire to one day hold a qualification, Dilahlwane Mohono – Senior Faculty Officer in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences – says her story is her favourite, as it is a story of hope, courage, resilience, and working your way to the top.

Because of her pregnancy, Mohono did not complete Grade 12 in 1990. She got married immediately thereafter. In 1992, she began working as a cleaner for a company that was insourced to provide meals on the University of the Free State Qwaqwa Campus. She says this experience often left her with mixed feelings, as it hurt to see her peers studying further, but this is also what ultimately motivated her to complete her matric. “Graduation ceremonies were the most painful events for me. This eventually pushed me to turn to ABET to complete my matric in 1994. From there, I was determined to start my academic journey, so I registered with Stanford Business College for a Secretariat and Computer Skills Diploma. It was a six-month course, but I graduated in the end. That graduation inspired me. It motivated me to study further. Juggling work and studying became challenging, because I was a young mother and wife, but I had to attend classes after work.”

The joy of education

In 2000, she registered for a Higher Diploma with Unisa, and at the same time took up a new position in the library on campus. At the time, it was still called the University of the North Qwaqwa Campus. She recalls this as the beginning of her upward trajectory in life. “The joy of education and seeing how far I have come made me realise how much potential I have, so in 2003 I registered for a BA Sociology and English degree at the UFS, and thereafter went on to do my BA Honours in Sociology.”

She took up a new position as Assistant Officer in the Faculty of Education. Wishing to be relevant to her new faculty, Mohono completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), and thereafter a second honours degree in Curriculum Studies. “I felt like I was flowing. My colleagues helped me out and I wanted to ensure that I was the best in everything, because I did not want to disappoint them. What always encouraged me, were my children. I separated from my husband in 2003, so I found myself raising my kids single-handedly, and I needed to show them that we could all make it, and life would still go on.”

In 2018, the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences advertised a senior position. Mohono says she took a chance and applied because she wanted more growth. “I am now a Senior Faculty Officer. I was privileged to be afforded an opportunity to work for the university, so I always thought – how can I work in an academic higher learning environment and not use the opportunity to study and pursue an education.”

Is there a woman who inspires you and who you would like to celebrate this Women’s Month, and why?

It has to be my late mother. She was a very hardworking woman, but she passed on very early, in her early 40s. She worked in the same dining hall I started in, and a lot of the women I worked with then worked with her too. They took me under their wings and motivated me to continue chasing my dreams. Some were not even educated themselves, but they motivated me. I drew a lot of inspiration from them.

What advice would you give to the 15-year-old you?

She must take pride in being a woman, know who she is, and know that she must be brave and confident, and run with education as the key to her success. If it wasn’t for education, I shudder to think where I could’ve been. When I look back and see what I have achieved, being able to rise from all that while single-handedly raising my children, it makes me feel very strongly about myself. I am a very powerful woman.

News Archive

Walk to Cape Town closes on high note

2014-06-03

Photo Gallery of arrival in Cape Town
Dagbreek interview (kykNet) (YouTube)
Thank you from all UFS students (YouTube)

It was a gruelling road totalling a distance of 1 038 km, but the UFS #NSHstride team completed the challenge of walking all the way to Cape Town.

On Thursday 1 May 2014, Adéle van Aswegen and Ntokozo Nkabinde, both from the UFS, took on the road to Cape Town on foot in order to highlight the problem of food insecurity among students at the UFS.

Two kind-hearted Bloemfontein residents, Nico Piedt and Ronél Warner, tackled the journey together with them, not only to draw the country’s attention to food insecurity, but also to raise money to address the problem.

The hike, known as the No Student Hungry 1000/33 stride (or #NSHstride), came to an end at the St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town on Tuesday 3 June 2014.

About R500 000 were raised before, during and after the foursome’s hike.

The NSH bursary, established in 2011 by Prof Jonathan Jansen, the Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, and Rudi Buys, Dean of Student Affairs, aims to put food insecurity among students at the UFS under the spotlight.

Rudi Buys, Dean of Student Affairs, says: “We are completely inspired by the victory of a 1 000 km with one step at a time – as it reminds us of the courage of our students who beat hunger one day at a time.”

“The stride team challenges us to change our world for the better every day. We hope to continue their victory for students by challenging all universities to join the struggle for food security and will call a colloquium in this regard in October.”

These boots are made for walking ... to Cape Town (Article of 02 May 2014)
“Aren’t auntie and them hungry yet?” Country folk worried about NSH hikers (15 May 2014)
UFS hikers to Cape Town reflect on their journey (Article of 26 May 2014)

Daily updates:
(You can also follow us on @UFSweb for daily tweets)

Day 33: 2 June 2014
13:40
20 km
Sunset Beach, Cape Town

Day 32: 1 June 2014
16:05
26 km
Mervyn and Sanet Wessels, Belville

Day 31: 31 May 2014
16:31
39.6 km
Rhonell and Gavin Julain, Paarl

Day 30: 30 May 2014
14:00
16 km
Monte Rosa, Rawsonville

Day 29: 29 May 2014
13:16
31 km
The Habit, Worcester

Day 28: 28 May 2014
11:00
22.4 km
Monte Roza, De doorns

Day 27: 27 May 2014
17:00
21.1 km
Karoo Hotel

Day 26: 26 May 2014
18:27
43.3 km
Tows river

Day 25: 25 May 2014
12:18
Lord Milner Hotel, Matjiesfontein

Day 24: 24 May 2014
16:30
42 km
Laingsburg Country Lodge

Day 23: 23 May 2014
17:32
41.8 km
Vergenoeg

Day 22: 22 May 2014
16:42
43 km
Assendelft Lodge and Bush Camp, Prins Albert

Day 21: 21 May 2014
15:09
42 km
Leeu Gamka Hotel

Day 20: 20 May 2014
13:39
20 km
Alida, Springfontein

Day 19: 19 May 2014
12:31
27.6 km
Teri Moja Game Lodge

Day 18: 18 May 2014
First rest day
Nagenoeg Guesthouse, Beaufort West

Day 17: 17 May 2014
19:30
62.3 km
Nagenoeg Guesthouse, Beaufort West

Day 16: 16 May 2014
13:00
14 km
Taaibochfontein

Day 15: 15 May 2014
16:03
32 km
Travalia, Three Sisters

Day 14: 14 May 2014
18:33
43 km
Joalani Guest Farm

Day 13: 13 May 2014
17:30
33 km
Die Rondawels

Day 12: 12 May 2014
16:49
40 km
Aandrus B&B in Richmond

Day 11: 11 May 2014
39 km
Wortelfontein (Magdel and Christiaan)

Day 10: 10 May 2014
15:44
34 km
Hanover Lodge

Day 9: 09 May 2014
40.8 km
Camping between Colesberg and Hanover

Day 8: 08 May 2014
15:25
33.7 km
Colesberg, The Lighthouse Guesthouse

Day 7: 07 May 2014
15:08
23 km
Orange River Lodge

Day 6: 06 May 2014
15:57
51.06 km
Gariep Forever Resort

Day 5: 05 May 2014
12:18
28 km
Rondefontein

Day 4: 04 May 2014
15:27
35 km
Trompsburg: Fox Den

Day 3: 03 May 2014
17:30
46.74 km
Edenburg Country Lodge (Hotel)

Day 2: 02 May 2014
11:44 am
15.3 km
Tom's Place

Day 1: 01 May 2014
32 km
Leeuwberg

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