From Domestic Worker to Graduate and Published Author

Dreams Can Indeed Come True.

This is the sort of story that all women in South Africa need to hear. Too often, when conditions are very hard, and the whole world seems against you, it is easy to say, “I have tried, and it is just too difficult.” But, as they say so often, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. And that is exactly when you just have to try harder and never give up on your dreams.

Ntombizodwa Merriam Mahlangu was born in Emhlabaneni near Dullstroom in Mpumalanga. She grew up in a mud hut with no electricity, and she had very few advantages in life. This is in fact a very common start to many people’s lives in rural South Africa, but Notombizodwa worked very hard at school and always dreamed of educating herself further. Her mother had always encouraged her and her siblings to make every effort to reach their full potential. Sadly, both her parents had died before her success story really got going. They would have been so proud of her.

Making every effort to reach her full potential.

In 2003 Ntombizodwa completed Grade 12 at the Tonteldoos Secondary School. Completing Grade 12 is no mean feat under these circumstances. Often family responsibilities stop one from being able to go to school. Often an unplanned pregnancy can make things very difficult for a young girl.

Ntombizodwa’s life was certainly not all plain sailing. She did have an unplanned pregnancy, and at one stage she had to shelve her plans to study further in order to look after her sister. And, as a teenage mother with a child to support, she now had to earn money.

She simply refused to give up her dreams.

In 2007 she became a domestic worker in Pretoria, and for a while it seemed as if that would be her lot in life. But life started to provide opportunities, and she was quick to recognize them. She taught herself how to use a computer and she learnt to drive a car. It is true that these opportunities do not occur for everyone, but if one is prepared to work hard and try hard, miracles can sometimes happen.

She was obviously a person with a future far beyond domestic service and this was recognized by her employers. Not much later she found work as a receptionist, and then as a personal assistant in a large debt regulation organisation.

Persevering, no matter what.

Now, with her employer’s help, she was at last able to study part-time through UNISA, and in 2018, at the age of 32, Ntombizodwa graduated with a degree in Public Administration and Communication Facilitation.

Today she not only has a good job in the credit industry, but she is a published author. Her book was written to encourage young girls to persevere with their education no matter what.

“The Brightness of Diamonds through Soil” is the name of her book, and all young girls struggling with life’s trials should read it. It will be available in August 2020.