Lindi Sindelo: From cashier to doctorate: A journey of perseverance

Lindi Sindelo grew up in Willowmore imagining a future she could barely name — a young girl inspired by a TV soap opera character who lectured at a university. This week, she moved one step closer to that dream when she received her Doctorate in Public Administration at CPUT’s Summer Graduation.

Her path was anything but smooth.

Sindelo attended school in Willowmore and Pacaltsdorp before matriculating in her hometown in 2007. She excelled academically and longed to become a professor. “I used to watch a soapie on SABC where one of the characters was a lecturer and I wished I could one day become a professor and work at a university,” she said.

But life pushed her dream out of reach — at least for a while.

“My journey to becoming a doctor did not start in lecture halls or libraries — it began behind a till,” she said. After matric, she worked as a cashier for two years and washed dishes at hotel functions. “At that time, studying felt like a distant dream, but something inside me knew that my story was not meant to end there and that I am destined for greatness.”

She worked several jobs, including as a caregiver, before enrolling at CPUT in 2012. “Financially I struggled but I persevered because studying was what I always wanted,” she said. While awaiting financial aid, relatives and “good Samaritans” helped her stay afloat.

From her second year, she worked part-time in a call centre. “That experience taught me discipline, time management, and the importance of hard work,” she said. Her in-service training at a Western Cape Government department later led to a permanent post.

After completing her Master of Public Administration in 2019, she confronted a hard truth. “During that time, I had a tough conversation with myself. I faced the reality that I had stopped growing, that I was no longer motivated, and that my passion had dimmed.” She resigned from her job to pursue her doctorate full-time.

“The journey was far from easy. I faced multiple hurdles—some within my control, many beyond it,” she said. But she refused to let go. “I held onto a personal promise: to persevere, to show up, and to stay committed… I come from humble beginnings—truly from nothing. To reach where I am today, I had to work extraordinarily hard. And today, with immense pride and gratitude, I can say that I am the first Doctor in both my maternal and paternal families.”

Sindelo now teaches as a contract lecturer in CPUT’s Department of Public Administration and Governance.

“I feel like I am starting to live my dream. It is starting to manifest,” she said.

Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.

Cape Argus