Being orphaned as a child and alcohol abuse as a youth, along with episodes of self-destructiveness, are all factors that ultimately guided a local woman towards completing a bachelor’s degree in social work at age 52.
Today she is one of Nomzamo’s most influential personalities, who has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of children and families in recent years, and continues to want more out of life, seeking knowledge and sharing her passion for languages and culture.
Phumi September’s story is one of hope and perseverance, and proof that a goal and ambition are all that’s needed to turn one’s life around and be a beacon of inspiration to others.
“There have been ups and downs, and it took me eight years to complete my degree,” she said. “I had to re-write my final exams after I did not make the minimum pass. But I never gave up, never felt hopeless and I persevered. Everyone has their own pace and their own path to reach their destination; I just put my faith first and remained headstrong to reach my goal.”
September grew up in Lady Grey in the Eastern Cape and, after losing her parents as an infant, she lived with her grandmother until age 15, when her granny passed away too.
She then relocated to Welkom in the Free State where she lived with an aunt. By age 17 she was on her own.
September attended school in Aliwal North but did not complete her matric, and what followed was a period of irresponsibility and excessive drinking that she would later realise was the impact of the trauma she had experienced as a child.
At age 21 she had her first child and had two more children after arriving in Strand in 1994.
Between 1998 and 2001 September also fostered two children, and later found this process assisted in her own healing process as she was able to show love and compassion to children without parents.
“Looking back I realise my difficult childhood had a lot to do with my recklessness. Be that as it may, I am thankful I opened my eyes when I did and turned my life around.”
Due to lack of education she was forced to take any job she could find, mostly as a domestic worker, and slipped deeper into alcoholism. It was in 2007 that a friend convinced her to join him at church and make a resolution to quit drinking, and a light began to shine in her life.
“That was my last year of drinking. I was sceptical about church and wanted to test this concept of Christianity, so in 2010 I enrolled at a Bible college and I did my matric.
“I passed both and it gave me a renewed sense of ambition. In 2015 I enrolled at Stellenbosch University to study towards a bachelor’s degree in social work.”
Along the way September also started work as an isiXhosa student assistance tutor in 2019 before starting her own business to teach the language and bit of the culture in 2020.
“In all honesty, Covid-19 marked the beginning of even greater things for me. Registrations for my lessons grew and I received enrolments from Canada, UK, Netherlands and Germany. I also started studying African languages and have only one year of post-grad to complete.”
Her social work often compliments her language classes, where she is able to analyse listening skills, attentiveness and responsiveness in children, and she feels unstoppable in her mission to be a benefit to others, September related.
“I also teach a lot of interracial families, white parents with black children. I teach these children about their roots and history, and I work with institutions such as Adoption SA. It’s like my life story has prepared me for this undertaking and I’m grabbing it with both hands and never letting go.”
September is now poised to attend her graduation ceremony in March, the culmination of all she has faced and feared over the past eight years.
“I am very excited about graduation,” she said. “My studies have taught me to overcome obstacles and that it is never too late to study, because age is just a number. I believe that time is a man-made entity, so work your time the way you want it.
“I hope to pursue a master’s degree and possibly a PhD, as I feel I’m still young and there’s a lot I want to do. My advice to others is keep working, you may be demotivated but don’t complain and keep working hard towards your goal. This life is a do-it-yourself type of thing. Others can only do so much for you; there comes a time when you have to do it yourself, no matter what.”
