Mr Lofentse Mohlabane : HR Intern

• What does freedom mean to you?

To me freedom means being able to express oneself freely without being judged or experiencing prejudice. It means being able to associate with any person of any race while respecting other people’s boundaries. Freedom to me also means being able to contribute and participate meaningfully in the economy and not being restricted based what kind of race or background I come from. To me Freedom means living out my dreams without limitations.

• How has free education changed your life.

I grew up in a township and attended government schools from grade 1 – 12 where we did not pay school fees. I was a recipient of the NSFAS bursary which I’m grateful for. The bursary has done so much for me, with my undergraduate results I was able to qualify for a new bursary then did my honours degree. If it wasn’t for free education I could probably be unemployed and uneducated considering that university fees are very expensive and getting employment without any tertiary education is extremely tough. Today I’m educated and currently working as an HR intern. I’m a strong advocate for free education thus is pains me deep to see students protesting for free education, while education is a fundamental right in South Africa.