Reaping the fruits of his labour Luyanda Khuzwayo, who placed first in the Ugu District for the 2020 matric results, is now setting his sights on med school this year. “I’m still waiting my choice universities to respond with Wits still being my number-one pick and Stellenbosch my second,” said a confident Khuzwayo.
The talented young man, who has already been accepted at the University of KwaZulu-Natal to study medicine, also placed third in Quintile 3 nationally, a feat his school Gugulesizwe High in rural Scottburgh are still ecstatic about. Understanding the plight of the majority of South Africans, Khuzwayo was troubled about the amount, and access, of resources rural schools had. He said that studying using past matric papers and his teachers were the guiding forces behind his success in addition to his mother’s unwavering encouragement and support.
“During my exam prep period I revised a lot of papers, such that over 90% of the questions in all my papers looked familiar. I also had very long days and short nights, and that gave me a lot of time to prepare,” Khuzwayo said. He thanked Miss Ndzimande, Miss Thabethe, Mrs Mthembu, Miss Shange, Mrs Shazi, Mrs Tenza and Mr Ndwalane, who were the driving force behind Gugulesizwe matrics. “These teachers worked really hard in helping us matrics. They took some time off from their families to be with us and spent so much time with us that they had practically become our family instead. And for that I would like to tell them that I am eternally grateful for their unlimited support and hope they do the same for future matrics,” Khuzwayo added.
Last week Khuzwayo’s extended family celebrated his achievements with a party at his father’s homestead in KwaCele. He said: “We celebrated with family, close friends and other matriculants in our family. I’d like to wish the class of 2020 all the best in their future endeavors. And just as we survived the pandemic, I believe that we can survive almost anything.”
