Koos Bhuda, 36, matriculated in 1998 as the top student at Buhlebesizwe Secondary School, in KwaMhlanga, with distinctions in history and Ndebele.
He could have been the poster child for the #FeesMustFall movement, which only started gaining traction in 2015 despite smaller protests happening on campuses since 1994.
It took Bhuda 10 years to complete his studies and realise his dream of becoming a teacher. He worked as a gardener and studied part-time. In some years he did not have enough money to pay his registration fees, he told The Times in a recent interview.
Then he had to work as a gardener for another year to save up enough money to continue his studies the following year.
Imagine if #FeesMustFall had happened earlier for him. Although he had some support from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, he still had to partly fund his own studies.