A KwaNobuhle woman’s dedication to developing the next generation of leaders has seen her scoop the youth category of The Herald Citizens of the Year Awards, supported by Nelson Mandela University.
Every afternoon for two hours, 22-year-old Sinovuyo Mafileka tutors about 30 children from grade R to grade 12 in a room behind her mother’s house in KwaNobuhle.
The Khalimani Reading Club was established in February 2023 shortly after Mafileka matriculated following a conversation with some children who were playing in a park near her home.
She now tutors and nurtures young minds in maths, English and isiXhosa.
“I love engaging with young people, and I was playing with the young kids around my community and then, when we were playing, we had the conversation about their academic reports.
“They were complaining about maths and their language subjects.
“They said they were poor in those subjects, so I said to them, ‘no guys, how about I help you.’
“I help them with their homework when they arrive from their schools. Our youngest student is a five-year-old and the oldest is 16.”
Mafileka said the pupils who attended the programme had shown incredible academic progress since joining.
“There were good marks for many of them.
“Last year, I had an awards ceremony for my students and there were 20 of them who got between 85% and 98% in mathematics, English and isiXhosa.
“We had one learner who is studying seven subjects. She passed with outstanding achievements in all of her subjects.”
Mafileka grew up in KwaNobuhle and did her matric at Molly Blackburn Senior Secondary School in 2022.
“I have a love of maths and numbers, and I am currently studying mechanical engineering at the East Cape Midlands College.
“I want to pursue academics and become a professor in mechanical engineering, and after that I will get my doctorate.”
Mafileka said while the room behind her mother’s house was not an ideal venue, she hoped to find a more suitable property for Khalimani soon.
“When it rains, the roof leaks and we can’t have classes that day, so I am hoping we can find better premises soon.”
Her love of poetry drove her to write her first book, Yagqama inkwenkwezi (The Stars Shine), which was published in her matric year.
“The book was inspired by the things going on around me — love, poverty, teenage pregnancy, drugs, obeying your parents and the importance of school,” she said.
“When we were in school, we had to share textbooks between learners and it was very disruptive, so my dream is for my book to be accessible to every child.”
The top nine Citizens of the Year category winners will be celebrated at a gala awards evening on Friday September 4 at the Boardwalk’s International Convention Centre.
Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world.
The Herald
