Shack fires destroyed Cape Town pupil Melani Lallo's home twice during her matric year. Unable to handle the loss, her mother committed suicide.
But Lallo, 19, from Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay, Cape Town, shed tears of joy on Friday when she attained a bachelor pass.
She was among thousands of residents who were displaced by fires in the informal settlement - and who are still struggling to rebuild their lives. Her school, Silikamva High, achieved a 72% pass rate.Nothando Dlamini, 18, wept for almost 20 minutes after seeing her results. She also got a bachelor pass but she will not be studying further this year because she did not apply to universities.
While many matriculants look forward to freedom and a new adventure at university, the top pupil from Durban's Menzi High School is just excited about having running water and electricity.
The son of a street-sweeper, Thembelani Dlamini, 17, earned seven distinctions and a spot to study mechatronics at the University of Cape Town.
Living in a student residence would be a far cry from the one-room shack he shares with his mother and three younger brothers in Umlazi, south of Durban.
"Just the thought of having running water and electricity is easing my fear about moving away from home. I am excited about having those things," he said.
Menzi High School, which has maintained a 100% pass rate for several years, starts at 6.30am and ends at 4pm for matric pupils. But teachers stayed until 6pm daily so he could study.
"I just didn't have anywhere to study at my home. It is a shack. I used to try to get up early so I could study when my brothers were asleep, but that didn't work. But the school was always here for me and that really helped," he said.
For Mandisa Xaba, 18, from Sakhelwe High School in Ezakheni township in Ladysmith, being named top student from a no-fee school was the realisation of a promise she made to her father before he died 10 years ago...