Wits med student will now graduate, after good Samaritans settle R400,000 student debt

Had it not been for scores of South Africans and Standard Bank who helped raise R400,000 to settle her debt, Wits medical student Mumtaaz Emeran would have missed her graduation, which would have meant failing to start her internship in January 2021. 

After receiving a letter from the institution, informing Emeran that she would not graduate unless the amount was settled by December 9, she took to Instagram on Tuesday to share her story and make a plea to South Africans for donations.

“I finished my last medical exam yesterday [Monday] and I thought I'd be excited, over the moon, but then I got a message from my faculty stating that I will not graduate if I have historical debt, and if it's not settled by the 9th, my name will get removed from the graduation list. If you know anyone or are able to contribute anything, I'd really appreciate it,” she said.

The student shared that her journey to becoming a doctor wasn't an easy one. After falling pregnant with her son at 16 years old, she made the decision to focus on her education and pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.

“I got a one-way ticket to Joburg and paid my way through med school until my third year, but in those three years I had to take a year off because I couldn't pay my fees, so I had to work and eventually go back to school,” she shared. 

Prominent businesswoman Carol Bouwer, and former Miss SAs Sasha Lee-Olivier and Bokang Montjane, are among scores who reached out and offered to assist the student on Tuesday. On Wednesday, donors had raised R215,000.

In a follow-up video on Wednesday, Emeran said the target had been met.

“This degree is something that belongs to every one of you and I want you to know that it's because of every one of you that this was possible and I thank you so, so much,” she said.