Lehutso Jonas Ntini

Lehutso Jonas Ntini, who is paraplegic and has a speech defect, has completed a Bachelor of Commerce in Financial Management at Unisa through sheer willpower and an immense contribution from the university’s Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD). This marvellous achievement bears testimony to the many ways in which Unisa shapes futures in the service of humanity. 

Being disabled does not mean "unabled" for Ntini, a 35-year-old who, on 11 October 2022, will be graduating, the first in his family to do so.

A tractor accident in 2007 left him with a brain injury, which resulted in him being in a wheelchair and suffering from a speech defect. As a result, he communicates using texts and partial sign language, but that did not stop him from believing in his dreams and goals, which included obtaining a degree at Unisa.

An aspiring investment specialist and financial accountant, Ntini says this qualification will place him in a good position to work for his dream employers which are Investec, Sasol and Anglo American.

A rocky path towards success

Ntini recalls the many struggles he faced in his academic journey. He mentions moments when he had to deal with system crashes when completing online assignments, experience public transport challenges to get to campus and face National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) system errors that cost him a semester. He credits ARCSWiD for the support and help he has received.

"ARCSWiD was just amazing throughout my studies," says Ntini. "The staff displayed enormous empathy towards me, especially Pearl Kgoete (Student Affairs: Student Communication Service Centre/ARCSWiD) and Pintias Nkuna (Academic Support Officer: Office of Dean of Students). I sometimes felt like ARCSWiD was studying with me as opposed to assisting, because they would intervene even when I had an issue with lecturers who would refuse to assist with system crashes during online assignments."

The one challenge that stands out is, he says, is having to use public transport to commute to campus. He says sometimes he is well received by empathic taxi drivers and passengers, but in some instances he is treated as unimportant due to his disabilities, with some drivers even charging him a higher fare to accommodate his wheelchair.

Eternally grateful to ARCSWiD and family

Ntini says in the second semester of 2019 NSFAS didn't pay for his studies, incorrectly indicating that he owed them money. They later conceded that they had made an error, but that was only after the involvement of ARCSWiD. This is the reason he completed his studies in 2022, instead of 2021. "So," he says, "their error cost me a semester without which I would have passed in record time. There are many of incidents I can mention, but one thing is certain: without my disabilities, I probably wouldn't have experienced 95% of them."

Despite all these challenges, Ntini says he is eternally grateful to ARCSWiD and his family for the motivation and support which has enabled him to finally be a Unisa alumnus.

"The challenges I faced made the journey a bit unpleasant but looking back I feel like everything I went through has prepared me sufficiently for the real world because I have developed a thick skin," says Ntini

Pearl Kgoete said Ntini’s achievement is outstanding, considering the challenges that he went through. At times, she says, he even felt like giving up. Out of the many moments she had to intervene for Ntini, she recalls a day when a courier travelled to Ntini’s house to deliver study material. At the time Ntini was alone, and upon receiving no answer at the house, the courier left. Ntini then had to text Kgoete, requesting her to explain to the courier company that he was in the house, waiting for his study material.

"Seeing him graduating is amazing," says Kgoete. "And I hope that going forward, getting a new job will not be a struggle for him. He has seen enough."

For Ntini, the biggest motivation throughout his studies was his mother, who he says endeavoured, sometimes in tears, to make sure that he pursued his studies.

He also advises students living with disabilities that they should not allow challenges throughout their journey to derail them from their set goals and dreams: "In this journey," he concludes, "the challenges we face are part of the curriculum. Students with disabilities should maintain close contact with ARCSWiD, because they are there to support and smooth the journey."

* By Godfrey Madibane, Unisa Radio Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement