The University of Johannesburg (UJ)’s graduation season is always a spectacle of achievement, but for Lehumo Surprise Dibakoane, this year’s walk across the stage was more than a personal milestone, it was a full-circle moment for a student leader dedicated to the “wealth” of the collective. The 22-year-old President of the 21st UJ Student Representative Council (SRC) recently traded his leadership regalia for a graduation gown, marking the completion of his initial teaching degree before diving straight into his BEd Honours in Curriculum Studies.
Hailing from Bushbuckridge, Acornhoek, Lehumo’s journey to the graduation stage is a story of seizing every opportunity provided by the institution and the state. While he stood in the spotlight, his heart remained with the woman who made the moment possible. Lehumo reflects on this bond, noting that; “It has been my grandmother, Kokwane Diana Malomane, I was raised by her since I was two years old. Unfortunately, she could not make it for my graduation due to her state of health. She has instilled the importance of education and making the best of opportunities.” For Lehumo, the certificate in his hand is a shared victory with his family and a fulfilment of his grandmother’s charge to never take his National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funded education for granted.
While many graduates see the end of their degree as an exit, Lehumo sees it as a deepening of his activism. His decision to study a BEd: Senior Phase and FET Teaching degree was born from years of service in the Bohlabela Education District starting in Grade 9. He explains his motivation clearly: “I saw how, as cliché as it’s always said, that teachers have the might to change the world for the better. From then on, becoming a teacher has been my drive, and I would tutor my classmates… especially when we were due for assessments.” This graduation serves as the foundation for his current research project, which explores parental involvement in schools facing socio-economic adversities ensuring his academic work directly impacts the type of community he comes from.
The path to graduation is often lonely, but Lehumo insists he didn’t walk it alone. To balance the crushing demands of the SRC Presidency with the academic rigor of a teaching degree, he relied on a diversified circle of friends and comrades who held each other accountable. Even on his most exhausted days, he would follow the collective mandate to head to the 24-hour study area. He offers stern advice to those following in his footsteps: “Having discipline, find your purpose in the institution or society, but be disciplined enough to not let student life take over the reason you are in this Great University. The absence of discipline and being true to your lived experience… this very Great University or any other institution will disappoint you.”
As he transitions from graduate to Honours student and sitting SRC President, Lehumo continues to redefine what success looks like. To him, the “Wealth” in his name isn’t about the status of his new degree, but the responsibility it brings. He maintains that; “Wealth from its ordinary meaning to me means having uncompromised humility and doing right by others, especially in the African context for Africa to attain collective success and not just a few affluent individuals.” With his graduation successfully behind him, Lehumo stands as a beacon for students from Mpumalanga and beyond, proving that academic excellence and radical leadership are a powerful necessity.
