From general worker to UKZN law graduate: Man completes decade-long journey despite financial hardship - IOL
Mr Lungelo Ngcobo walks the stage as an LLB Graduate.
In a true and touching story about overcoming hardship, Lungelo Ngcobo has finally graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree after a decade-long struggle to complete his degree.
While most of us can't even begin to think about that kind of willpower, Ngcobo's story is one of perseverance.
In 2016, he enrolled at UKZN in the second semester, but in 2021, he was unable to register for his final year after losing his National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding and being unable to afford his outstanding fees.
For the next two years, he was unemployed and actively seeking opportunities.
Mr Lungelo Ngcobo working at the Road Rehabilitation Project.
In 2023, he found a job as a general worker at a factory. It is here that he spent a year working and saving towards his return to university.
In 2024, he returned to UKZN determined to complete his remaining modules, but he ran into financial problems, preventing him from completing them. With just one module left to complete his degree, Ngcobo was forced to return home, unable to afford the registration and his study fees.
Leaving UKZN for the second time in 2025, he was selected to join the R617 Road Rehabilitation Project connecting Bulwer and Underberg, where he worked throughout the year. He later applied for readmission to UKZN in 2026 and successfully completed his degree after the first semester.
The 29-year-old graduate, born in eGobhogobho in Bulwer, refused to let poverty define him. “I was born poor, and when you come from a disadvantaged background, you want to do everything in your power to change your circumstances and create a better future for your family.”
He said that what drove him was his desire to make his mother proud of what he had become.
Ngobo, being the family man he is, credits his mother and sisters as his biggest supporters. He expressed his gratitude to his family, friends, and acquaintances who stood by him throughout his journey.
Ngcobo is currently working at a legal office and gaining practical experience. He aspires to become an admitted legal practitioner, aiming to make a difference in the lives of others by using his legal knowledge and skills to advocate for the protection and empowerment of women, children, and vulnerable workers, topics he is passionate about.
“Having faced my own challenges as a general worker, I have developed a deep appreciation for the struggles many ordinary people experience every day. I hope to contribute to greater awareness of legal rights, improve access to justice, and empower communities through the law,” he said.
