LWAMONDO – Lwamondo Village came to a standstill on Saturday, when community members converged at Matatani Luthern Church to honour a grandmother who proved that age has nothing to do with academic success.

The inspiring story of Nkhumeleni Nevondo (61) was published in our June 3 issue and since then, Nevondo has received huge acclaim from our readers. Despite her advanced age, Nkhumeleni finally graduated with a two-year National Professional Diploma in Education (NPDE) from the University of Venda recently, after 35 years of unbroken teaching service.

Nkhumeleni said she was surprised to learn that there are people who recognize her educational success in her village. “There is nothing more important than being honoured by your own people. I did not have a chance to study further while I was still young and I swal-lowed my pride to compete with the youths in the classroom. The most important thing is to work hard and give yourself more time to read books although it is not always easy,” said Nkhumeleni, who teaches at the local Maphuphe Primary School.

After completing Standard Six, Nkhumeleni stated teaching at Ngudza Primary School way back in 1970. She studied hard to acquire her Standard Eight certificate through correspondence. 1988 was a memorable year for her when she passed her matric, also through correspondence. She also holds a computer diploma from Tshisimani Further Training Centre.

Obviously filled with joy, Nkhumeleni told the fully packed church that it is important to read more because knowledge is the only source of wis-dom. “Never listen to negative things if you want to succeed in life. I became a laughing stock when I told other grannies that I am studying further. Although most of them criticized my move, I studied hard because I had an objective to accomplish. We must forget about our ages and agree to be taught by young kids.”

Nkhumeleni is married to James, a retired school inspector and the couple has two independent children. She advises other elders to get down to their books to adjust with the changing life of this global world. “Time and tide wait for no man. We have to do our best while time is still on our side. I will continue to study until I loose my eyesight. I am about to retire, but that will never stop me from reading books to increase my knowledge.”