The brilliant Zimbabwean student who had no money for university fees is now heading to university after South Africans rallied to help her.

Triphin Mudzvengi had been accepted at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) but due to her family’s financial constraints, she was unable to enroll.

Former vice-chancellor of the University of the Free State Prof Jonathan Jansen got in touch with her after reading her story and set the ball rolling. Individuals and companies have come forward with offers to help the bright 18-year-old.

A R100,000 sponsorship towards her tuition fees for 2020 was offered on Thursday by Mukuru, a fintech company that offers financial services to under-served communities on the continent.

“There have already been offers from the private sector, individuals, private donors … In the next few days we will know if we have enough to help Triphin over the duration of the degree, not just in her first year,” Jansen said on Thursday.

Bronwyn Pretorius, head of marketing at Mukuru, said she was touched by the story and stepped in to help Mudzvengi achieve her dream of becoming an engineer.

“When I saw the article about Triphin, I immediately felt that Mukuru should help. Mukuru has more than 2-million customers all over Africa and Asia who have left their home countries in search of better opportunities for their families. For this reason, I have a small level of understanding of what Triphin’s family had to sacrifice in order to leave Zimbabwe in search of a better life,” said Pretorius.

Speaking to TimesLIVE on Wednesday, Mudzvengi expressed gratitude for the pledges. “I am really grateful, this is like a dream come true. I don’t know what I would be doing if it wasn’t for everyone helping me,” she said

Source: Times Live