As a boy, Zolani left his Eastern Cape home to flee his abusive father and moved to George to live with his grandmother for the next 10 years.
Later this home environment became equally challenging, when he started experiencing abuse from extended family members.
As an attempt to escape his circumstances, he became a reckless and rebellious teen, indulging in substance abuse and even attempting to take his own life.
He stopped sleeping at home and failed Grade 11. “I didn’t care anymore. I felt like no one loved me and I didn’t deserve to be happy,” said Zolani.
One of his teachers at Thembalethu High School noticed his struggle, advised him to change subjects and cautioned him on his behaviour. This act of being noticed, gave Zolani hope.
“It made me feel like someone still cared,” he said. And with this motivation, he passed Grade 11, on his second attempt.
In December 2020, after 10 years apart, Zolani moved to Uitenhage and was reunited with his mother and brother.
“Life in Uitenhage was not easy, but I was motivated by the hurtful words I had heard in George. “I was told I would never succeed and that I would become a phara,” he recalls. “Those words, made me determined to prove people wrong.”
In 2021, he focused on school and passed matric with top marks. When he started university the following year, he had no clothes to wear and little motivation to attend. But his friend Cindy Gumanda’s family supported him. “She was like a sister to me. Her family cared about me and helped me on my journey,” he reflects.
Zolani is currently working towards a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), at Mandela University and even though he initially wanted to study teaching, his BA degree gave him another way to reach this goal.
“I went through violence, abuse and emotional lows, but I didn’t give up. “I am a graduate today because I stayed strong, believed in myself and kept going,” he said.