Her connection to Infinite Family began years ago, back when she was still a learner at Mehlwana Secondary School in Mpumalanga. She did not know it then, the mentorship she found inside her high school’s LaunchPad would go on to shape the course of her career.
After completing Matric in 2021, Nthatuoa left home and relocated to the Free State to live with her aunt’s family. She made the move to build a better future for herself and enrolled at Northern Cape Rural TVET College to study for an Electrical Artisan (Technician) qualification, completing N1 – N6 (which is similar to an American associate’s degree).
The road was far from smooth and challenges outside the classroom – like ensuring the family’s basic food and other needs were met – meant that she had to repeat several modules. There were many moments when Nthatuoa felt discouraged, but she pushed through, tutoring primary school learners and selling ice pops to make money to help support the family.
Nthatuoa’s resilience was put to the ultimate test when the family lost everything in a house fire, leaving them to rebuild, and she says that maintaining her relationship with Infinite Family was a lifeline.
With the encouragement of her mentor, Mommy Angela, she reminded herself that her circumstances would not define her future, that change was possible and that she should not give up on herself or her studies.
Once she’d managed to complete her N6 studies, the only thing standing in the way of her receiving her diploma was an experiential internship and, moved by her persistence, Infinite Family made it a mission to help find her placement. Jobs, and even internships, are hard to come by and so rejection followed rejection, but the search eventually led to Absolute Containers – an Infinite Family partner since 2011 – and they were so impressed with Nthatuoa’s determination to succeed in the face of so many obstacles that they structured an internship around her needs, offering her a life-changing opportunity.
Last month, a delighted, slightly overwhelmed and deeply grateful Nthatuoa moved to Johannesburg to begin a 24-month contract with Absolute Containers as an electrician/wireman!
And, once the college requirements to obtain her diploma are complete, Nthatuoa looks forward to growing in her career, while looking back knowing that the fight was worth it.
From Mehlwana Secondary School, to the Northern Cape and the Free State, through years of quiet perseverance, to a workshop floor in Gauteng — Nthatuoa’s journey reflects what is possible when resilience meets the right partnership at the right time. Her story is a reminder that where a person starts does not have to be where they finish.
Our heartfelt thanks to Absolute Containers and to Sales & Marketing Director, Jemma Jansen van Vuuren and MD Walter Bastard for believing in Nthatuoa and making this opportunity possible.