School was key to Mandla Khusela escaping poverty

“As a child, I grew up on my own raised by family members. I was told that my mother abandoned me at her friend’s place and never came back … I was never given any food for free. I had to work for it”, says Khusela.

Today, Khusela is proud that despite his tough childhood, he has become a successful businessman. He says nobody told him to go to school, but somehow he knew that school was the only way out of poverty and abuse.

He used to go to school barefoot. To create warm boots for himself in winter, he took the wheels off a pair of rollerskates.

When his siblings could not take care of him, his father took him in. But life was hard. His stepmother was abusive. He would only get food or money when someone sent him to the shop. In grade two, he survived through errands to the tavern to buy alcohol. People would then give him change.

“My father never gave me anything. He never had money”, says Khusela.

“A teacher in grade one used to give me bread. I would make sure that those two slices of bread would last me the whole day, because I had no hope of getting food anywhere else”.

At one stage, he was a taxi conductor after school. The driver would pay him R5.

As a child, Khusela thought the only thing he needed was his father’s attention and a mother. He longed to hear the words, “I love you”.

His mother came back into his life when he was 18. She passed away a few years later from illness. Later, his father also passed away.

“Even though I was struggling, I always had a dream of running a big and successful business. For some reason people in the neighborhood loved me and they would motivate me.”

At school he felt safe and taken care of. But he did not have money to study further after grade 12. Instead, he did a short course in information technology. He later found a job at South African Airways as a customer service agent.

“Working at SAA opened doors for me. I saw life differently. I strived for success, and I knew that one day I would want to be my own boss. I saved money and connected with people who motivated me.”

“Today, I have a couple of businesses that I own like Abu’s Hiring Services, where we hire out Adult and Kiddies equipment. I also have vending machines.”

He encourages young people to persevere despite the misfortunates they face.

Khusela considers himself successful, a person who beat the odds of poverty through determination and going to school.

“We all have different problems. Some are minor and some are major. Don’t let people bring you down. Just cling to your pride and make a better person out of yourself. I am saying these things because I have been through this journey. I know what I am saying. In order to be successful in life you must have a vision, you must have a direction. Prove people wrong.”