Young, Brilliant, Beautiful: Meet Dunga, African Girl who Bagged Her First Varsity at 19, Set for PhD

Zintle Dunga a young South African girl has made waves as she bags her first degree from UFH at 19.

Dunga, on 19th May 2022 graduated from the University of Fort Hare (UFH) with a Bcom Degree in Information Systems (IS).

According to the University, she was the youngest graduand to be capped during the 2022 UFH May graduation.

Dunga started school (Grade 1) when she was five years old and sailed through all her grades as the youngest learner in all her classes. She passed her matric with a Bachelor’s pass at Nqabara Senior Secondary School in 2018 at age 16 and enrolled at Fort Hare the following year – a decision she says she will never regret.

In her words: “At first I was intimidated being the youngest in my class, however, thanks to the support from my lecturers and peers, I soon found my feet and gained confidence. I am glad I chose Fort Hare because life on campus was a great experience.

“I have gained a lot of knowledge, especially from the practical assignments we did.  With this degree, I feel prepared to start a career in the Information Systems field,” she said.

Dunga, who lived with her mother during her studies revealed that her mum is her role model.

“My mom is my greatest supporter. She always believed in me and my dreams,” she said

She also added that she never believed she will be the youngest graduate.

“I never imagined that I would be the youngest graduate to be capped. I am excited and feel honoured. I am inspired to achieve even more.”

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The UFH youngest graduate’s mother disclosed that Dunga was a very smart girl, despite being the youngest in her class.

She said: “As a child and throughout her life, failure was never her portion. Despite being the youngest in all her classes, her mind was advanced. She was inquisitive and always wanted to know how things worked and why they worked that way. She always strived for the best.

“She never left the province before and I was worried that she might not cope. I was at ease when she chose Fort Hare as her university of choice because it was closer to home and that meant she could live with me.”

“She is my one and only child and I am grateful that I was able to be there for her, emotionally and physically during her university studies. I am thankful to my parents for raising such an obedient, focused and strong young woman. My prayer for her is to study further and become the youngest PhD graduate.”

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CREDITS: ALLSCHOOL, UFH