Rotondwa gets won over by the young ones

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc in communities as it leaves many people unemployed and in a state of utter hopelessness.

But every now and then we get to hear about someone who had grabbed hold of an opportunity and used it to their advantage, to improve their situation.

Twenty-four-year-old Rotondwa Ravhura from the Ha Ravele village in the Sinthumule district has qualifications in Construction and Civil Engineering, but instead of lamenting over not getting a job, she lifted her head up high and thought of a way to generate an income. Ravhura is now looking after kids and helping those who can no longer go to school on a daily basis because of the national lockdown, with extra classes in their schoolwork.

With the little she earns from doing this, she is at least able to take care of herself while she continues to plan her future.

Ravhura completed her studies at the Rosebank and Denver College in Pretoria in 2019.

“After that I started applying for jobs, but months went by without any luck. I was becoming very disillusioned and depressed as things were falling apart,” she said.

“As a graduate and seeing others who studied with me working and driving fancy cars, made me mad and I became highly stressed. But I saw an opportunity that was to give my life a new complexion,” she said.

She noticed how many working mothers struggled to find someone to entrust their children to when they had to go to work. She also noticed all the kids playing in the streets without supervision, and an idea started to take shape.

“I grabbed this opportunity and started with only my younger brother and sister in our garage. Now I have eleven kids in my care. I teach them about the dreaded Covid pandemic and the protocols that they have to adhere to. I also teach the older ones Mathematics and English and help them with their homework. This keeps me busy and has completely changed my thinking. Looking at the response, I might not go back to engineering at all, as I am considering starting my own crèche and care centre where young people can come and be mentored,” she said.

“My advice to other young people who find themselves in the same situation I was in, is that it is all in the mind. No job is less important than the other. They complement each other and we should not be ashamed, no matter what we choose to do.”

Date:09 April 2021

By: Maanda Bele

Maanda  Bele, born and raised in Nzhelele Siloam, studied journalism at the Tshwane University of Technology.

He is passionate about current news and international affairs.

He worked as part of the Zoutnet team as an intern in 2017.

He is currently a freelance journalist specialising in news from the Vhembe district.

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