Lorato Khobetsi-Slinger
MARIENTAL – The 18-year-old cousins from Stampriet have both registered at the University of Namibia (Unam) with support and assistance from the Hardap governor, the Mariental Rural constituency office as well as sympathetic members of the public. Delores Witbooi and Agnesia Afrikaner rose above their circumstances and are amongst the best grade 12 performing learners in the Hardap region.
Despite scoring 59 and 28 points respectively, their future looked bleak due to the lack of funds to further their studies.
Afrikaner is studying for Bachelor in Business Administration at Unam’s Southern campus in Keetmanshoop while Witbooi is registered for a Bachelor in Medicine and Surgery at Unam’s School of Medicine in Windhoek.
Both girls have expressed their gratitude and are thankful for the support they have received from everyone who was touched by their stories.
“Since my story got published, I got help from Ms Bock with N$300 to pay for late registration. The constituency office in Stampriet paid for my registration fees and also sponsored me with toiletries. I also got assistance from Bagatelle Lodge. I am grateful and would like to thank everyone for their help as well as motivation. I will not disappoint them,” said an excited Afrikaner.
A very grateful Witbooi added “It is hard to put in words my genuine appreciation for the help I received. I would like to thank God for bringing forth sweetness out of a situation that was pretty hopeless. I would also like to thank everyone who provided assistance in any possible way, be it financial or through motivation. I wish I could mention everyone but the list is infinite.”
Afrikaner comes from a family of 10 children with both her parents being unemployed, while Witbooi was raised by a single mother and has three siblings. Afrikaner attended school at Mariental High School and Witbooi was a learner at Rukongo Vision School in Kavango East region.
They further appealed for more assistance as they will need laptops to take notes as well as the payment for the rest of their tuition fees, if their loan applications do not get approved.
Mariental Rural constituency’s regional councillor, Simon Dukeleni who assisted five learners including Afrikaner through his office’s micro funding programme said that education was one of the areas that he emphasized on when he was campaigning to bring change to the constituency with regards to the qualifications of its residents.
“During the first week of January, the two ladies visited my office seeking for assistance from relevant offices, whereas constiyuency offices do not have funding but on the promises that we got tax refund in the tenure of Katrina Hanse- Himarwa. She put up the strategy that money should be diverted to micro funding and social upliftment,” he said.
The councillor said he used part of that tax refund to assist the learners from his constituency with registration fees.
“After their studies they should be the first executives of Stampriet Village Council. We are still struggling here and there but we are calling on Namibians to come on board to support those that want to graduate and grow gradually,” he said.