“I arrived in South Africa in 2005 as a refugee, it was difficult for me to communicate in English since I am French speaker,” says Simon Nsengimana.
Simone registered for an English course at the Hatfield Assembles of God Church, which was a three-months Basic English course offered to the refugees free of charge.
The knowledge gained from the course assisted in improving his vocabulary and then Simon managed to secure a job as a security officer.
“When I came to South Africa, my ambition was to continue with my studies and pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.”
However, he later enrolled at CPUT as a full-time diploma student in Management and Entrepreneurship Department.
He chuckles at one of his bosses’ disbelief upon seeing study books in Simon’s office. “When I told him that they were mine, he laughed at me and asked: “Can you study?” I said yes, but he never believed me.
“With the knowledge, I got in an Entrepreneurship course, I spotted an opportunity in taxis industry which I joined during the time of World soccer cup.”
While in the taxi business, Simon enrolled for a Masters’ degree in Business Administration in Entrepreneurship. “I continued working hard in school and take my studies seriously. I made sure I attend classes, conferences and meetings as scheduled. I also use every opportunity to learn, I use my teachers a lot and search information from various materials.”
He also lost his father-in-law while he was in the middle of his BTech degree examination and his father in the last month of handing in his Masters’ thesis.
He intends to enrol towards a doctoral degree soon.
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