30 August 2019
For a long time, Steven Nemasango had a dream – he envisioned himself obtaining a university degree one day.
The father of two from Bloubosrand in Johannesburg saw his dream come true recently when he bagged his first degree at 40 – and he believes this is just the beginning of his academic accolades.
“A man who doesn’t dream doesn’t have a future, and when your dream doesn’t scare you, it is not a dream” are words that best describe the bumpy road to success for Nemasango.
His passion to pursue a career in Information Technology was put on hold when his parents divorced, leading to financial hardship and life in a rural village where he grew up under difficult circumstances.
“I remember waking up at 2am to plough the fields and at 6am I would prepare for school,” he said.
A serious lecture on life from his mother changed his perspective on education. He no longer settled for average marks and pushed boundaries to pass very well his Cambridge high school exams.
With the hospitality industry providing a more affordable career alternative to IT, he enrolled soon after high school and outclassed his stream by emerging the best student in his class.
“I took up an internship position at Holiday Inn Harare whilst still a student.”
Testament to his hard work and determination is his appointment as Assistant General Manager at De Hoek Country Hotel in Magaliesburg in February 2019.
His belief that your situation can only be changed by education, led him to not lose sight of his goal to achieve a BCom Information Technology Management qualification from higher education institution, MANCOSA.
On the challenges he encountered to obtain his degree, he said: “I sponsored myself and there were times when I was in arrears with payment to obtain results to proceed to the next semester.
“Juggling between a demanding hospitality career, family and studies was especially challenging but I kept the faith and determination going.”
He attributes part of his academic success to MANCOSA for providing an excellent support structure to students.
“Lecturers are easily accessible and always offering to assist. I remember struggling with Financial Accounting and a lecturer – Sooraya Ebrahim – helped me during her free time. Her guidance throughout my studies proved invaluable in helping me pass my modules.”
Expressing gratitude for the solid education, he said he felt empowered in his managerial position and has learnt life lessons that he will treasure.
“I look forward to enrolling for my MBA with MANCOSA because of the flexibility offered by distance learning and tuition payment terms.”
Nemasango plans to pursue his Masters and Doctoral degrees and venture into entrepreneurship with the possibility of owning a guest house, lodge or hotel one day.
He is inspired to make a difference and encourage those without hope and he urges the youth of today to persevere and remain steadfast under any circumstance like he did.
“Our races in life are not the same. As long as you have set a goal, nothing can stop you. Success is not easy to achieve – it takes individuals who are determined and hardworking to realise their ambitions. I live life on my terms – I compete with myself, at my own pace and with my rules.”
In his spare time, he enjoys socialising, reading motivational books, watching news and travelling to indulge himself in mountain climbing and adventurous outings.
ENDS
ABOUT MANCOSA
MANCOSA, a leading provider of management programmes through supported distance learning in Southern Africa, is ranked among 10 of the best providers of MBAs in Africa. MANCOSA is a member of Honoris United Universities, the first pan-African private higher education network focused on nurturing the next generation of African leaders and professionals. With 12 learning centres across the SADC regions offering 74 programmes, MANCOSA serves as an innovation hub for executive education and postgraduate management programmes. A selection of 25 Executive Education Short Learning Programmes is also offered to meet the requirements of professionals in both the private and public sectors. See: www.mancosa.co.za
For queries or additional information call 031 300 7200, email [email protected] or visit https://www.mancosa.co.za/.
Issued by:
Tanisha Rajcomar
Meropa Communications
(031) 201 0550 / 083 439 0350
On behalf of:
Shaadia Vawda
Chief Marketing Officer: Southern Africa
Honoris United Universities