Lesley Phiwayinkosi Nene fulfils his dream at Unisa

Lesley Phiwayinkosi Nene, born in Eshowe, KwaZulu Natal, graduated with a  Bachelor of Education (BEd) from Unisa. Nene currently lives in Umlazi and works for a private security company at Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT).

Nene was inspired to study by working in a university environment

He matriculated from Gawozi High in 1993 but could not continue his studies due to financial constraints. Instead, he decided not to be idle but started job hunting and was hired as a security guard by a private security company. Later he was deployed to MUT by the company. He was motivated by working in an educational environment and meeting professors and students. What inspired him the most was seeing students completing their studies and graduating. This sparked his interest in education even further. Some of his colleagues were studying at Unisa and told him everything he should do to become a Unisa student. In 2013 he registered for four modules, and from there, he never stopped. Teaching was one of his career choices because he likes to share knowledge with everyone around him.

Nene says one of the challenges he faced during his studies was choosing his major subjects (English and Life Sciences). He realised that the total number of modules would be more than the required 40. He visited the regional office in Durban, where a student advisor helped him choose so he could register for the desired modules. This delayed his studies because he had already selected the additional modules. The second challenge was the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, he registered for the last module, Portfolio (Senior Didactics). Unfortunately, his assignments did not reach the Examination Department on time and were not marked because he sent the hard copies by post. He had to register for the module again in 2021. After submitting his assignments electronically to Unisa, they were accepted, and he received confirmation that he had completed the degree.

Nene graduated with graduated with a Bachelor  of Education

Nene was supported by his family, friends, colleagues, MUT staff and students during his studies. In addition, fellow students were very supportive throughout his academic journey.

He encourages young South Africans: “Studying at Unisa has never been easy, considering my age, the nature of my job and the mode of teaching Unisa offers, but because I was so determined and passionate, I made it. The hard way is the right way. I wish young people could not let the opportunity to study slip through their fingers,” he says.

*By Sakhile Mtshali, Communications Officer, KwaZulu-Natal Region