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Friends beat the odds by achieving second degrees together

21 April 2022 | Story NONSINDISO QWABE | Photo Supplied

Their friendship began in high school, where they were constantly told by teachers that they would not make it to university, but these best friends never gave up. On Thursday 21 April 2022, they received their honours degrees in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences together during the afternoon ceremony of the University of the Free State’s April Graduations.

Lerato Mbongo and Opheleleyo Qwabe, who have been friends since Grade 9, said being picked on in class for not being the brightest learners brought them together and motivated them to work harder.Mbongo obtained a Bachelor of Agriculture Honours majoring in Wildlife Management, and Qwabe received a Bachelor of Agriculture Honours majoring in Agricultural Economics.

“We’ve always dreamed big, but if you had told us back then that we would one day be two-time graduates, we wouldn’t have believed it. During one of our Maths lessons back in Grade 9, our teacher went around asking the ‘smarter’ kids what they wanted to study after matric, but when he got to us, he said there was no point in asking because we wouldn’t make it that far anyway,” Qwabe said.

The friends, who both started at the university’s South Campus, said they were grateful for the UFS Preparation Programme, as it boosted both their marks and their confidence. “The programme helped us to believe in ourselves again, and also played a big role in helping us discover what we wanted to study. The courses we enrolled in really unlocked an unstoppable passion in us and helped us realise that nothing is impossible. Today, here we are celebrating 10 years of friendship, and our honours degrees. We’ve conquered once again, and we're sharing our victories together,” Mbongo said.

News Archive

Kovsie wins luxury apartment in Paarl-Franschhoek Valley

2016-11-09

Description: Win A Home Tags: Win A Home

Palesa Moisi, winner of the Win A Home
competition on the Afternoon Express
Show on SABC 3.
Photo: Win A Home

The saying “Dreams do come true” is a perfect explanation for 25-year-old Palesa Moisi who was announced winner of the Win A Home competition.

Palesa, who is currently completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at the University of the Free State, is the proud owner of a beautiful apartment worth almost R3 million. The day after the announcement, she was escorted to the Val de Vie Estate to pick her dream apartment from three beautiful designer apartments.

Proud owner of apartment at Val de Vie

With Win A Home Season 3 on SABC 3’s Afternoon Express, viewers not only stood a chance to win bi-weekly prizes, but Palesa walked away with a two-bedroomed furnished apartment in the Polo Village at the prestigious Val de Vie Estate in the Paarl-Franschhoek Valley near Cape Town. The draw took place on 26 August 2016 at the Afternoon Express Studios.

Time stood still for a moment

Palesa says when she stepped towards the safe, which each contestant was assigned to, and opened it, everything just stood still. A key to the apartment was inside one of the safes. “My mind was somewhere else and when I saw the key I realised: ‘Hey I need to take it out and show it to everyone’.”

Financial constraints are a big issue for her family. Her mother is a single parent and Palesa has a younger sister who needs to be cared for. “I’m still a student and I think that if I rent out the house for now, I will be able to pay for my fees and take some pressure off of my mother,” she says.

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