- A Durban businessman offered Dumisani Ngobese a permanent job.
- The news came less than 24 hours after the 23-year-old graduated from University of KwaZulu-Natal.
- His emotional pictures flooded South Africa's social media pages.
University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) graduate Dumisani Ngobese's future is secure after he managed to bag a permanent job as well as the fees for his Honours degree.
On Friday, South Africans were moved by the 23-year-old's emotion on stage during his graduation.
Now, in just less than 24 hours, he has attracted the attention of a Durban businessman, the owner of Calvin and Family Groups Companies, Calvin Mathibeli.
You have seen the picture now know the story behind it23-year-old Dumisani Ngobese could not hold back tears after he was conferred with a Bachelor of Arts degree at a ceremony held at the UKZN’s Westville Campus on Friday. (1/7) #UKZNGrad2022 pic.twitter.com/169GtpeTjq
— University of KZN (@UKZN) May 13, 2022
On Saturday, UKZN released a statement which said that Mathibeli was willing to offer Ngobese a permanent job at his company as well as pay for his Honours degree, which he is currently pursuing at the university.
According to UKZN's statement, the 34-year-old businessman's group of companies has interests in agriculture and minerals, and has 12 subsidiaries with offices in seven provinces and a presence in Namibia and Lesotho.
The statement said Ngobese's post on the university's page went viral, with thousands of South Africans offering words of encouragement and some pledging various donations.
Among those was Mathibeli, who was moved by Ngobese's story.
Dumisani who is now pursuing an Honours degree said he was overcome with emotions as he reflected on what he said was a “long and difficult” journey.He was raised by his maternal grandmother in Bhukhanana, a rural area outside eMpangeni. (2/7) #UKZNGrad2022 pic.twitter.com/X0gZ06FU9R
— University of KZN (@UKZN) May 13, 2022
In a statement, Mathibeli said: "I was so moved by his story because of his resilience, but also because of the similarities that we have in terms of background. I spoke to him yesterday and I was very moved by his story.
"Ngobese's story resonated with my own experiences.
"I was also raised by my grandmother in a big family, but our resilience made us who we are. I want to ensure that Ngobese is able to earn a living, so that he can also contribute to his family. All I need from him is to respect the job."
“My grandmother was a street vendor and the sole breadwinner in the house where there were over 10 children,” he said.Unfortunately for Dumisani, his grandmother could not make the trip to see him graduate due to ill health.(3/7) #UKZNGrad2022 pic.twitter.com/CqE7IRX7VR
— University of KZN (@UKZN) May 13, 2022
Mathibeli said there were other vacancies available, but he created a special one for Ngobese, who would start working on Monday.
"Of course, business is not for everyone... what we will do is to find out what his dreams are and we will complement them," said Mathibeli.
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