Stellenbosch University Student Raises Funds To Help Students In Debt

Thembalethu Seyisi, 22, will use his graduation celebration as a fundraising event for #Action4Inclusion.

A Stellenbosch law student is using his graduation to raise funds for charity.
The funds will go to #Action4Inclusion, an organisation that aims to tackle student debt.
The budding lawyer hopes to help get the programme rolled out to universities nationally.
A Stellenbosch graduand is using his graduation to raise funds for students who are not able to access their academic records due to student debt via #Action4Inclusion.

“So many students leave university with so much debt, which prevents them from getting their degree. Without their degree, they can’t apply for jobs. We are losing out on people that could have contributed to a skilled workforce and moved the country forward,” Thembalethu Seyisi, 22, said.

He will receive his law degree on Tuesday and is passionate about seeing other people free themselves from the fee debt that holds them back.

Seyisi has been involved in the initiative since it was established in 2020 by the Stellenbosch University student representative council.

Under the patronage of Professor Thuli Madonsela, the Law Faculty Chair in Social Justice, the funds raised via #Action4Inclusion are used to support students who can’t register for the next academic year due to outstanding fees, as well as graduates who can’t access their academic records upon graduation.

“I’ve been privileged to be mentored by very good people, such as Madonsela, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng and Justice Edwin Cameron, I’ve seen how they go about leading their lives.”

He added:

I’ve been taught that when you rise, you should lift others with you.

The fundraising events for #Action4Inclusion aim to encourage students to have fun with a purpose – through hikes, comedy nights and jazz festivals – while raising funds.

These funds help students who are not able to take up their academic places due to outstanding student debt, but who have still achieved good academic scores.

Seyisi hopes to make an impact in the lives of students who have completed their studies, but can’t get jobs because their academic records are withheld due to outstanding fees.

He said he received a bursary, which relieved him of the financial burden many of his fellow students have.

“I’ve been privileged in that I don’t have to worry about funding. While working for #Action4Inclusion, I was moved by one student’s story. He was working as a gardener at the time, but is now excelling and doing amazing things for himself and his community of Idas Valley. When people have the opportunity to do well, they will,” he added.

This is not his first fundraising effort. For his 21st birthday last year, Seyisi published a book, 21 Life Lessons @ 21, to raise funds for charity.

He approached 21 successful people he admires – some high-profile role models as well as personal heroes and family members – asking them to share one life lesson or insight they wish they’d known at 21. The result is a collection of stories by inspirational South Africans, such as Cameron, Madonsela, Phakeng, Sello Hatang, Sandra Prinsloo, Khaya Sithole, Zelda la Grange and others.

In a statement by the university, Seyisi was described as someone who is dedicated to social justice and works to improve the lives of young people. He received the rector’s award for Excellence in Social Impact.

After completing his LLB degree last year, he started working as a candidate attorney at Cluver Markotter Attorneys in Stellenbosch in January. But he will continue his involvement in #Action4Inclusion and hopes the programme can be rolled out to other universities across the country.

Source:News24.com

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com