This is a story of a man who has been working his backside off to try and pay off his student debt. Joseph Khohlokoane completed a social sciences degree 17 years ago.
His student debt was R30 000 which he needed to pay of after studying. He started to work as a Shell petrol attendant in Worcester to try and settle his debt. UCT would not formally give him his degree without settling his student accounts.
“I wanted to pay it off at R100 a month, but they said it wasn’t enough,” Khohlokoane was quoted as saying.
Trying to pay off R30 000 with R100 month is going to take a very long time. Especially with the interest.
“I actually wanted to become a social worker, but after two years they told me I couldn’t carry on, because I stutter. So I changed courses, and switched to social sciences,” Khohlokoane said.
Then one day a farmer nearby heard about Joseph and his student debt. The farmer arranged to have all his debt and accrued interest paid off which now amounted to R100 000.
Josephs employer will be driving Joseph, his wife and their daughter to Cape Town for his graduation ceremony.
Source: News24
