Triumph After Tragedy

From a tragic childhood to getting his engineering degree against the odds, this Limpopo graduate has a lot to celebrate

- Joy Mphande

He'd had big plans to celebrate. Having faced many challenges on his journey to graduation, he wanted to mark the milestone in style.

Tsepiso Tshivhase and his grandfather intended to go to a restaurant in Camps Bay to wine and dine like kings before hitting the beach for more festivities after his graduation ceremony at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

“Two weeks before the ceremony, the university sent an email saying it was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a bit of a nightmare,” Tsepiso (27) says.

“It was really hard. All those years of hard work . . . but once we sobered up out of our disappointment we understood. We celebrated at home.”

The civil engineering graduate has much to toast. Up until now, his journey had been fraught with difficulty and he wanted to celebrate the milestone that at times had felt nearly impossible to achieve.

Tsepiso was just six when his father committed suicide after allegedly murdering his mother.