I’m Athabongile Magobiane. I’m from Eastern Cape, from a small town Nqamakwe where I grew up. I obtained my degree at the university of Fort Hare, a Batchelor of Agriculture. I currently reside at Mfuleni Township in Cape Town where I stay with my cousing who is working as a call centre agent for Old Mutual SA.
When I arrived in Cape Town in 2020 my sister told me about Afrika Tikkun where you could learn computer basics and get a driver’s license but I wasn’t able to follow up at the time as I managed to get a job at Woolworths, where I worked for one year. During my time working at Woolworths, I was attracted by the garden at Afrika Tikkun, and applied to volunteer at the garden, but due to corvid I was unable to start in 2020 so only started in 2021.
While I was a volunteer, I heard about the work readiness programme offered at the centre and got clarity on what the programme offered. I found the sessions so helpfull and meaningfull because I could not cope with the situation I was facing after losing a job, and was looking for guidance. My expectations have been met, and I can now face the negative aspects that have been dragging me down.
The programme has helped me deal with emotions that have been overcoming me. Managing situations in the work place used to be a challenge for me as I tended to jump to conclusions without assessing all the possibilities in a situation. I can also now take feedback in a postive way, regardless of whether it is positive or negative and learn from it. Most importantly, I got to know myself better.
I would like a job that is based on my qualification, where I can utilise my skills gained from the institution and from my previous work experience, working my way up within that organisation. But in our days I know that we cant rely on only one source of income so I currently have my backyard garden operating. In the near future I would like to have my own farm
