A generation asks what came after access

In 2016, South Africa’s education debate was shaped by one urgent question: who gets access?

Ten years later, a new question is emerging from the very learners who entered the system during that era: how do we ensure access translates into long-term success?

For many young South Africans, access opened the first door, but the road beyond it remained uncertain. That reality sits at the heart of the Ruta Sechaba Foundation’s 10-year milestone campaign, which amplifies the voices of the post-2010 generation navigating life after school, university and into adulthood.

One of those voices is Boikhutso Sekgobela

From Burgersfort in Limpopo, Sekgobela was part of Ruta Sechaba Foundation’s very first cohort in 2016. A top learner at Meridian Northern Academy, she is now in her final year of medicine at the University of Cape Town and is set to become the first doctor to emerge from the Foundation’s programme.

Her journey reflects both the promise of opportunity and the resilience often required to turn that opportunity into lasting progress.

Raised by a single mother, Sekgobela says financial hardship was a constant reality. After the passing of her father, the family’s circumstances became even more difficult, and the dream of studying medicine began to feel increasingly out of reach.

She credits her sister as one of the people who kept her going. “She always reminded me that I deserve to be where I am and that I had already overcome so much,” she says.

Sekgobela still remembers the day her matric results were released. Before opening her statement, she received confirmation that she had been accepted to study medicine at UCT.

“I was in the kitchen when I got the acceptance letter. I called my sister immediately and she told me to pack my bags because we were going to Cape Town.”

Recognition as a top achiever opened new doors, including support from the Ruta Sechaba Foundation.

“It helped a great deal financially, especially for my mom. It changed the focus from whether I would finish high school to how well I would finish.”

But like many learners, Sekgobela says the transition after matric came with challenges few people speak about openly.

“The freedom surprised me the most. It is overwhelming, hard to navigate and scary because you can get lost in it.”

She says one of the toughest lessons was discipline.

“The hardest part was deciding how I would live my life. Would I go to class even when I didn’t feel like it? Building discipline was the biggest challenge.”

She also believes top achievers are often misunderstood.

“People assume we enjoy studying, and that is not always true. For some of us, education is the way out of difficult circumstances.”

Another overlooked challenge, she says, is learning how to build relationships in a new environment.

“At school, friendships happen naturally because you are in the same place every day. At university everyone is doing their own thing, so you must become intentional.”

There were moments when her path to medicine was uncertain. At one stage, bursary offers were coming through for actuarial science rather than medicine. Through the Foundation’s network, she was connected to support that helped her remain on her chosen path.

Now nearing graduation, Sekgobela says success after matric depends on staying focused when circumstances become difficult.

“The goal must remain the goal. It gets tough and imposter syndrome is real. But you must remind yourself why you are there and that you got the opportunity because you are capable.”

Executive for Strategic Relations for Curro and the Ruta Sechaba Foundation, Natasha Mkhize, says Sekgobela represents exactly what the organisation hoped to achieve when it launched a decade ago.

“Boikhutso’s journey captures exactly why the work of the Foundation matters. Access alone is never enough. Young people need support, mentorship, continuity and people who keep believing in them long after the acceptance letter arrives. Seeing her on the verge of qualifying as a doctor shows what becomes possible when opportunity is matched with sustained investment in potential.”

Her journey from Burgersfort to one of the country’s leading universities is a reminder of a broader national truth: access matters, but support, continuity and outcomes matter just as much.

As the Ruta Sechaba Foundation marks its 10-year anniversary this year, donors, partners and prospective applicants are invited to learn more by visiting rutasechaba.org.