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FASSET | Annual Integrated Report 2022/23

SUCCESS STORIES

FASSET prides itself on lending a helping hand to top achievers
through its Bursary Programme as we believe that financial
obstacles are not reason enough to pause the academic journey of
our future leaders. Ntokozo Mthimunye, hailing from Mpumalanga,
is one such learner that caught the attention of FASSET CEO,
Ms Ayanda Mafuleka, when she reached out seeking for funding
assistance after matriculating with seven distinctions. The results
she achieved proved that she had worked hard to obtain her Matric
Ntokozo Mthimunye
certification and is a standout learner that should be elevated to
study further. We sat with the learner to get to know her and unravel
her journey:

1. Please tell us about yourself. A backstory and support towards me. All these initiatives
of who you are and where you are from? motivated me to always do more, be better and
make wise choices in life and not fall in the
I am Ntokozo Mthimunye from Kwagga Fontein hands of peer pressure. I managed to study hard
“A” in Mpumalanga, currently a registered first- obtained seven distinctions and I was amongst
year student at the University of the Western those who received awards in the category top
Cape for a Bachelor’s Degree in Law, four-years ten performing students for the Matric calendar
programme. I come from a poverty-stricken of 2022 under the Thabisile Hani Municipality.
household, partly raised by a single mother
of four, who works as an Admin Clerk at the 3. When did you realise what career you
local primary school in Mpumalanga and my wanted to venture into and how did you
father used to work as a Manager at a liquor come to this choice?
company but was later retrenched. Due to these
financial strains that we were experiencing at I realised that I wanted to become a lawyer, due
home my grandmother opted to take care of me to the increasing statistics of the rape in my area
financially with her pension grant even though it and the amount of those rape cases that go
was hardly able to cater for all our basic needs unreported. Older men use children below the
and wants. age of 18 for their sexual pleasures in exchange
for money and the number of children that are
2. How would you describe your dropping out of schools because of rape trauma
upbringing? is quite alarming. Me being a lawyer would
not only be a financial benefit, but it would
I would describe my upbringing as humbling also benefit some of my community members.
yet motivating. I would sometimes get to see the I reside in an area where there is high level of
depression that my parents went through due to illiteracy and I intend on engaging in corporal
the stress of not being able to cater for all of us socio investments in future and educate young
(their children) financially. As my family believed adults and children on the legal procedures that
that education is the only key to a better life, they may use if they were to find themselves in
they would ensure that I have all the academic situations of being victims of rape.
resources that I need for a particular academic
year, pay for all of my extra classes that were 4. Where did you hear about FASSET?
offered at school and ensure that I was able
to pay for transportation with the little money I came across the FASSET bursary page on
that they had as it was quite a distance to walk Facebook when I was trying to apply for
from and to school. All these initiatives that my bursaries after getting my Matric results. I then
family would take regardless of their financial tried my luck applying for the FASSET bursary,
difficulties demonstrated aspects of love, care hoping that I get funded even though it was

Make the future count. | 35