Finally, Sibusisiwe graduates after 15 years

IT took Sibusisiwe Phoswa 15 years to obtain her very first qualification.

The 36-year-old woman from Taylor’s Halt in Pietermaritzburg said it was a tough journey, but giving up was no option.

Finally achieving the dream

Sibusisiwe finally obtained her first qualification from the Durban University of Technology (DUT).

She was emotional during the DUT 2025 Autumn Graduation when she obtained her long-awaited diploma in accounting.

The graduation ceremony was held at the Indumiso campus in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday, 13 May.

She wished her late mum, Duduzile Phoswa, who was former Head of the Department of Public Management, Law and Economics at the DUT Riverside Campus, was there to celebrate with her.

Speaking after she finally got a chance to graduate, Sibusisiwe said: “I’m speechless, I was filled with lots of emotions. I wished my mum was here to see me honour her dream. She was a lecturer at the DUT Riverside Campus. She passed away in September 2021.

“She was my motivation. She used to always tell me she had several qualifications. She insisted on me also having a qualification, saying she wouldn’t rest until I got one.”

A journey filled with challenges and illness

She told Daily Sun her DUT journey was a tough one.

Over the years, she could not finish her diploma on time due to illness.

Sibusisiwe said when she felt like giving up, her mum encouraged her to return to finish what she had started.

“I enrolled at the DUT in 2009 for a national diploma in Human Resources but had to drop out after falling pregnant with my first daughter. In 2011, I went back to the DUT after enrolling for my National Diploma in Accounting, which was the qualification that I finally obtained from the institution.

“I used to study for only six months and get very sick, being in and out of hospital.

“I would get admitted to hospital for months, and when I got better, I would go back to the DUT.

“However, I would end up not writing my exams due to my illness. It was a tough journey, but giving up was not an option. I owed it to myself and my late mum,” said Sibusisiwe.

Inspired by her mum’s journey

She said another motivating factor for her was that her late mum only studied at a later stage of her life after she was married and had three kids.

If her mum did it, so can she, she said.

Sibusisiwe revealed that her mum passed away while she was in the process of completing her PhD, saying her diploma was only the first of a few qualifications she plans to attain.

A proud family moment

Her dad, Sipho Phoswa (60), said he was excited to see his last-born finally graduating after years of hardship and illness.

“She is our blessing. Her journey was tough, but we are grateful she has finally succeeded. It was her late mum’s wish for her to, at least, have one qualification in her hand,” said madala Sipho.