Monise Ponoane

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First and foremost I wish to thank USSAS for its grants.  They really met me halfway in my fees.  I am now going to pay tuition fees with all the money.

I Monise Ponoane, who comes from a barren area, at the country-side in the place called ? (Transkei).  I am so grateful to receive such a financial aid.

We are a family of eleven persons and all alive, understanding both spouses (my father and mother).  Needless to tell you that it is really hard to make or afford an expected normal living, because of financial constraints.  Both my parents are not learned because they drop-out at higher primary.  If I may give you some light colour of my family background, I would say the concept like “prosperity” is not in my parent’s vocabulary due to the overload of the children in the course.

My parents are categorically falling to the worst class of the have-nots.  My father is a labourer who earns R480.00 and mother works as a domestic worker and she earns ???  This, thus makes very hard for my parents to maintain us.  I would say ? even the area has some detrimental efforts hence it is a rural arid area.

When I was a pupil we used to walk 5 kilometers to and from, with bare foot.  There was not transport provided.  We walked whether it rains with thunderstorms or snowing hence we had no alternative.  Needless to tell you that the conditions in my school were despicable.  There was and there is still as libraries no entertainment as well.  In the laboratory soon you could ? get what is expected to be in.

Ordinarily things like ice-cubes we knew them in theory as they are shown or drawn in textbooks.

These conditions prevailed up until I passed my matric in 1987.  After I passed matric I could not arrive anywhere hence I could not get an employment other than casuals.  However, it was not until I made up my mind to go for tertiary institution at the University of Durban-Westville.

I am a member of a social organization called Masablanc.  The goal of this organization is to uplift our social conditions as well as seeking unity amongst ourselves.   Politically I am a Pan Africanist a member of Pan Africanist Congress of Azania.  In fast living conditions which are very miserable made me to join it, hence it fights for the repossession of dispossessed land from the rightful owners.  Here on UDW campus I am an organizer of the Pan Africanist Students Organization of Azania.

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