Humble Beginnings and Commitment a Recipe for Success, Says Graduate

BY: .

Realising that irrespective of upbringing, a person can achieve anything and see their dream come true is what motivated Dr Thembekile Ntshakala to complete her studies and graduate with a Doctoral dgree in Public Administration.

‘My humble background motivated me to work hard and to be a beacon of hope for the youth in rural areas. I wanted to prove that irrespective of upbringing you can achieve and realise your dream.’

‘Education is something that no-one can take away from you and it is therefore the best weapon young people should arm themselves with,’ said Ntshakala.

While government transparency and accountability was the focus of her research, she also stressed that citizens needed to participate in government processes.

Local government employee and aspiring academic, Ntshakala, said she chose to study for a Doctorate in Public Administration because it was the qualification relevant in the Public Sector and beyond.

The title of her research was: “District Governance in South African Local Government: A Case Study of West Rand District Municipality”.

‘The study is very relevant to citizens because among the elements/characteristics of governance are participation, transparency, accountability, responsiveness, performance, efficiency and effectiveness. These elements are of interest to citizens. For instance with participation, citizens have to be involved in the government processes, while governments, on the other hand must be transparent and also accountable in their processes.’

Ntshakala said the aims of  her study  were to:

·        Analyse the extent of alignment between Planning, Implementation and Performance Management;

·        Assess the effectiveness of the community involvement in these processes;

·        Examine the role of public participation in the service delivery processes; and Evaluate the extent to which performance management and measurement contribute. 

Reflecting on her experience and challenges at the University, she said coming from rural Nongoma to the city of Durban was overwhelming and adapting to University life itself was a challenge.

‘The set up at the University of attending lectures at different venues and the diversity was a shock for me. Language was another challenge since the communication had to be in English,’ said Ntshakala.

Some of the highlights in her achievements were completing her masters in record time, being accepted to study for her Doctorate and the approval of her research proposal. ‘I must indicate that balancing work and studying for my Doctorate was a bit strenuous. All thanks to my supervisor because he understood my situation and we did some of the communication via email and we met for one-on-one discussion.’

Ntshakala thanked her family, siblings and her supervisor Dr Thokozani Nzimakwe, for always believing in her and contributing to her success. She also thanked her friends, colleagues and other people for their encouragement.

-         Sithembile Shabangu