My name is Zanele Nyabane and I am 23 years old.
After being cut off from my bursary in my third year (2019), I volunteered at Riendzo Development NPC, a local organization, helping with office administration. In 2020 I took part in the Saving Water Technology and Irrigation learnership with the Department of Agriculture, which ended in February 2021. In May 2021 I saw a post on Facebook that Afrika Tikkun was looking for sales representatives. I decided to apply and within a week I got invited for an assessment and then an interview. It was my first interview ever and I was scared to the point that I wanted to turn back and go home. But I couldn’t because I really needed a job.
I went on with my interview and words actually failed me in there but the interviewer was very patient with me. She asked “Why do you lack confidence so much? Why do you doubt yourself so much?” I didn’t have an answer to both her questions. She introduced the Work Readiness Program to me, and I wasn’t crushed that I did not get the job. Actually, I was excited with my new journey because I knew that in the next three months I would be developing myself to become a better person.
Just like other journeys, it wasn’t a smooth one, but I learned more about myself and how to handle different personalities and situations, socially and also in the professional space. We did computer basics, and were taught about people who live with different abilities. What stood out the most was learning about my emotional intelligence and preparing for presentations.
