Johannesburg - Former football star Koleka Makanda, 38, has set her eyes on completing her PhD in environmental and water sciences specialising in water resource protection.
The former player, who hails from Buffalo Nek, Mount Frere in the Eastern Cape, is in her final year at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). She has been sustained through a bursary made available by the Department of Water and Sanitation and she says not even the sky can limit the hopes and dreams that she has set for herself.
Makanda said she was one of the very few people in South Africa who were able to reach this academic level in their lives.
“Studying on its own is hard. It takes a lot of discipline, commitment, and a whole lot of money. Money which I did not have, until I became aware of the bursary programme of the Department of Water and Sanitation,” said Makanda.
The department said she was awarded a bursary to further her studies in 2009 while she was still pursuing a diploma in integrated water resource management at UWC.
“I must be honest, back then, I did not think that I will reach this level of my studies, but as fate would have it, I am here,” she said.
She said besides her passion for the water sector and her plans of contributing to finding a lasting solution in addressing the impact of water pollution, football is her absolute love.
“If I were not in the sector, I would probably be a soccer player. I have been playing football all my life and I am pretty good at it too. Before I joined the department, I represented the country in international tournaments in Bangkok, Serbia and Uganda with the national student team through the University Sports South Africa (USSA),” she said.
According to a department statement, she has been with the department since 2010 where she joined as a graduate trainee and currently works as a production scientist responsible for the coordination of water resource classification projects.
The department further said Makanda had three published research papers with a special focus on policy implementation for water resources protection, assessing feasibility of water resource protection practice at catchment level, as well as assessing the role of water resources protection practice for sustainable water resources management.
“My advice to them would be that they should not allow themselves to be confined by their communities and to always dream big. While dreaming big is of essence, working hard is very important to ensure that your dreams become a reality. Education is the master key to achieving all that you have set for yourself,” added Makanda.
The Star