HE might not have come up with the phrase “when life throws you lemons, make lemonade”, but Bongani Ndlovu (26) has adopted it in his own life.
A spinal injury after a bus accident left Ndlovu a paraplegic in his matric year, at the start of his examinations.
That year was completely wasted. What’s more, when he tried to go back to school the next year to repeat his matric, no school in rural Eshowe, where Ndlovu comes from, would take him.
But with the help of a social worker, he was able to get place at a school for pupils with special needs, where he was sent back to grade 11.
On Friday, Ndlovu graduated from Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) with a diploma in marketing because he refused to let circumstances dictate his choices in life.
“I don’t know how to explain the feeling of holding a diploma.
“ I don’t think I own a prouder moment in my life,” he told The Witness.
Ndlovu’s father died in 1998, and his mother supports the family.
He was fortunate enough to get a full bursary provided by government for people living with disabilities.
“I made a decision that I would not be helpless. I was fortunate in that my lecturers refused to give me any special treatment,” said Ndlovu.
