Don’t get it twisted, I have a wicked sense of humour & am only here to inspire & give hope. #DeputyMother #MakeEducationFashionable #FabacademicFamily
South Africa
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I’m proud to announce that this year, I’m launching the Make Education Fashionable Awards 2025, which come with R150,000 in prizes, to recognise graduates who are using their education to make an impact.
Nominations are officially open and close on 10 November. Nominate yourself or someone you know deserves celebration. Click the link in bio for more info.
At the end of the day, education remains the most reliable equaliser. Let’s keep proving that education is still the most fashionable thing there is❤️
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Help me get the details of this brilliant Math genius, I'd like to help him study at @UCTOnlineHigh School🙏🏾 His talent cannot be passed by! I want to pay for his studies to make it possible for him to access good education to enable him to use his talent to change the world!🙏🏾
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If you are a young person starting work this January, please digest this:
UNGAJOLI EMSEBENZINI!!🙏🏾
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A PhD does not make anyone lose their hands, sense of humour, style, or adventurous spirit!
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Celebrating UCT doctoral graduates like ... This is #UCTgrad2020
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We’re off to play with other kids one more time before returning to the city of work🤩
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No matter how much you love each other, DO NOT get married in community of property!🙏🏾
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Today I celebrate 2yrs as VC of UCT. 3 successes stand out: Student suicides are no longer a thing. Out of 10 senior leadership appointments I made, 8 are black & 2 white. For the first time in 2020 UCT now leads Africa in ALL of the 5 major world university rankings. #Grateful
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Just a correction Pearl….I’m not in my mid 40s, I’m just 3 years away from 60. You can cry a bit louder.
#ideem this inappropriate for a wife and mother!!! You are in your mid 40s!! Put the tummy and ripped jeans away! Women that dress like teenagers are sad!
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I was neither the smartest in the family nor the top student at school, I even failed chemistry at first year varsity, but I convinced myself that I will get a PhD one day and I worked very hard to get it. In June 2002 I did, I have never looked back since then. #MakeEducationFashionable
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What a moment! I have been enjoying myself here in Dubai and last night I went to the Women in Tech awards ceremony as a finalist because I won the Africa Women in Tech Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023. And walla, my name gets announced as the winner of the 2023 Global Lifetime Achievemnt Award winner and I froze! My heart was pumping fast and my eyes got wet! I have never been so happy about an award like today! I can't even remember what I said in my acceptance speech because I was very emotional. After media interviews, I had a video call with my children and I was screaming! God is good! I owe it all to Him!
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They will never accuse me of incompetence because I know my story - I was never parachuted anywhere.
They will never come for my performance because I work damn hard.
They will never accuse me of corruption because I’m not obsessed with money - I actually gave them my salary🤷🏽♀️
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Only in South Africa, our land, can such a small boy spit in the face of the very women who raised his entire family, scrubbed their filth, and kept their home together. Indeed, we have the best democracy in the world.
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Hey Siri! Please play “Don’t Judge Me” by … eish I forgot the name of the artist🤔 Please help🤷🏽♀️
Anyway, Happy Wednesday!🤩 Remember to spread love and kindness, but at the same time, let no one dance on top your head. Defend the truth and principles without fear 🧡🤍
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The ability to just squat without the need to negotiate anything with my body at my age is most definitely my flex. What’s your flex?
#Magriza #thepeoplesVC #DeputyMother #blessed #grateful
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Life Orientation must be SCRAPPED at matric level! There’s AI, 5IR, quantum physics, apartheid history, and many more subjects we can teach our children at that level, not LO.
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So good to dress up my boy, Tshwarelo for his graduation tonight. He is a BSc mathematics major currently doing a BSc(hons) in mathematics with an aim of getting into mathematics education via PGCE. So proud of him! The path is clear my boy, now walk it your way! #UCTGrad2023
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Have you ever gone through a disaster and, a year later, look back and think, "God, given the opportunity, I would still design the disaster exactly the same way"?
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I taught him Maths many many years ago. Today, he teaches Maths at Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls❤️❤️
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It was a cold, rainy morning, so I went to encourage and say goodbye to students that took the earliest shuttles to campus❤️ I went with over 100 chocolates and to my surprise, the shuttles were full I even ran out of chocolates! UCT students braved the weather and went to study!
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My boy Ori is a graduate!!!❤️🥳🥳🥳 Congratulations @Ori_RSA!❤️
P.S: The next time you fight him on these streets, remember that he’s not just a troll, he’s an educated one😜
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My husband just graduated! Thank you @StellenboschUni #proudwife #blessed #grateful #senganga #tallglassofwater #upgrade
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Going forward, let’s keep our disagreements intellectual and respectful, as long as there’s no provocation. There’s no need for insults when unprovoked🙏🏾
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My baby girl is graduating with an MBChB tonight! Tlisang balwetsi, re na le ngaka ka ntlong! 💃🏽❤️💃🏽❤️ #UCTGrad2023 #DeputyMotherOnDuty #DeputyMotherOnCall #MakeEducationFashionable
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I was here🙏🏾♥️
#Grateful
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Enjoyed supper with my students on my last Saturday as VC of UCT🤩♥️
#Grateful🙏🏾
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Spending the festive holidays with my mother - she’s still as fit as a fiddle🤩🥰😍
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A 55-year-old and a 57-year-old😍 Morning beach walk with my friend done and dusted✅
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If you wouldn’t ask for a discount at Woolworths, please don’t ask the street vendor. Every cent matters to them too! Respect their hustle🙏🏾
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I went back to campus study spaces at around 11pm last night to give my students chocolates and words of encouragement as they prepare for their final exams. As usual, I was encouraged to find them hard at work!❤️❤️❤️
Some requested transcription👇🏾
#DeputyMotherDuties❤️
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The senior citizen decided to rock a crop top because it’s spring and she lives by her own rules😜
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In 10 days I turn 59. They say I should “act my age.” I do!! I just do it with confidence, colour and courage. A woman’s glow at fifty is NOT vanity, it is victory. #DefyAge #AgelessEnergy
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I didn’t have a bursary when I did my honours at Wits. In March, I was told that someone paid my fees. I didn’t know them & yet they made a big contribution to my journey. #Grateful that I can do the same for others today.
#MakeEducationFashionable #Beltswag #Itispossible
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It’s Friday today and we’re all about positive vibes😜 Makhadzi is filling up Peter Mokaba Stadium and I want to get tickets for 50 young people who will be in Limpopo on the day. I will post the link to express interest later today. Otherwise, Happy Friday!❤️🥳🥳🥳
Stay kind, if not, at least stay healthy❤️🏋🏽♀️
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“The greatest weapon against oppression is education and knowledge.” ~ Winnie Mandela.
Happy Friday♥️
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Happy heavenly birthday to the Super Mega!❤️❤️ Your legacy lives on son; continue resting in peace🙏🏾❤️❤️
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Objectively, you may have grounds to argue that Putin is not our ally John, and you are entitled to voice that view. But it is both inappropriate & irresponsible to claim that the Head of State, whom you (along with other MPs) mandated to represent SA in all official capacities (including foreign policy) is not acting on behalf of the nation. In fact, your statement implies that YOU are the voice of SAns on this matter, which is factually incorrect & misleading. As part kf the GNU, you share the responsibility for collective governance. If you disagree with the direction of foreign policy, put your argument forward, but stick to the merits even when you lose the debate. Publicly discrediting your own President’s mandate crosses a line and undermines the integrity of the gov in which you serve. Whatever you say now carries some weight because you are a Minister, so when you publicly challenge him in such a manner, especially on foreign policy, you undermine his authority AND weaken SA’s position internationally. His peers on the BRICS and global stage MUST take him seriously, so when you publicly cast doubt his mandate, it reflects poorly on the entire country. If he appears weak, we all appear weak as a nation and become the laughing stock of the world because he’s our face🤷🏽♀️ Yes, we can disagree with him here, but we must present a united front when we are outside and rally behind him.
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
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In honour of our favourite Twitter cook, I’ll be cooking chicken-flavoured garlic. Stay tuned😍🤩
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Back in 1998 - the year of Science and Technology (I was 32 years old). Yours truly was captured here with a luminary scientist of this country’s legacy: Prof. Malegapuru Makgoba💪🏾
Happy Thursday!♥️
#TBT
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Better late than never #VogueChallenge
Dress designed in Khayelitsha and made in Woodstock by @Imprint_ZA
#Ibuylocal #Supportlocalentrepreneurs
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I did my postgraduate studies at Wits part time while working full time & raising a family. No social life. In 1998 I took leave without pay so that I can have a strong start to my PhD. It was tough financially & personally! In the end I won! #grateful #MakeEducationFashionable
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You’ve missed the point - completely but let me indulge you.
No one is comparing GBV with abortion, read again. We are comparing buying concert tickets and having an abortion - two independent choices made by two different people:
Person A feels her abortion choice is right, and condemns Person B’s buying of concert tickets as wrong.
Person B believes people should have the freedom to make whatever choices they deem right for themselves - including abortions and buying whatever concert tickets they want to buy. At no point did she judge anyone for aborting multiple times voluntarily.
But also, remember that legality actually does not equate to morality. Apartheid was legal; war is legal; even euthanasia is legal in some places. So, the fact that something is allowed by law doesn’t automatically mean it’s morally sound. If we’re going to talk morality, we have to face the uncomfortable truth that everyone’s sense of right and wrong is subjective. You can call me names or even spend the entire night shouting, but that fact will not change.
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I’m officially turning 58 in a just a few hours and I ask for just 2 minutes of your time.
Each year on my birthday, I receive thoughtful gifts and warm messages that I truly appreciate. But this year, I am reflecting and I’m seeing my birthday in a different light. I acknowledge that I’ve been blessed beyond measure. I have everything I need and more, so accepting more gifts would be going against my value system.
In that spirit, rather than getting me a gift, kindly redirect that thoughtfulness towards the next person. The best gift for me would be seeing what you did for someone else, no matter how small, as long as it is an expression of love or kindness. I would consider it the best gift of my life because you would have contributed to a kinder world in my name. It could be a meal, a word of encouragement, money, a hug, or even just the acknowledgment that they are seen and valued.
The world right now feels like such a violent and unjust place, so we need humanity now more than ever. We’ve lost touch with what it means to be kind and connected. There are more things dividing us than uniting us. But I must say that the more I see, the more I believe that the smallest acts of kindness can help heal what is broken. When I’m at my worst, what picks me up is that random message of affirmation from a stranger, who has no idea I’m feeling anxious.
So I know what even the smallest acts of kindness can do and I want to use my birthday as an opportunity to push kindness, even if it’s only for a day and even if only in small ways. So, as you send me your birthday messages tomorrow, I ask that you include what you did to make someone’s day a little brighter❤️❤️
Don’t forget to tag me👊🏾
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A grateful heart + a simple smile = Contagious Happiness🤩❤️
Happiness personified👇🏾
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Allow me vent a little bit.
Guys, if any country wants us to apply and pay for a VISA to visit them, then it’s only fair for South Africa to demand the same of their citizens🤷🏽♀️ We want the West to respect us but we still pander to them at the expense of our nation’s dignity.
The assumption that requiring VISAs would somehow stop tourists from coming here is insulting, really. It implies that South Africa is not worth the inconvenience of applying for a visa. I mean, SA is a world-class destination - we have everything imaginable. We are no charity case; no one comes here because it’s convenient or visa-free, they come because they want to experience what we have to offer. The Western countries are not doing us any favour by visiting us, it’s a mutual exchange!
Assuming that visas would somehow stop them just shows an embarrassing lack of confidence in our value as a nation. But also, if we demand VISAs, it should be easy for them to get them, right? I mean, they should be able to prove they’re coming here to spend money🤷🏽♀️ If they’re denied entry for any reason, do we really want them here? Clearly they’re bad news! If they don’t have money, we’re allowing them to come here to do what exactly? If they can’t afford VISA application fees, then clearly they won’t help us with anything when they get here, so the “promoting Torusim” argument is an excuse for timid leadership.
At this stage, it feels like a permanent beggar-master arrangement. SAns must go through lengthy and demeaning processes to visit some countries - they have to present proof of finances, pre-book flights and hotels, and pay high “processing” fees. Regardless, we still go! But I really don’t understand how it makes sense to our leaders that the poor guy should pay the wealthy guy for him to DECIDE whether or not he can visit, but the wealthy guy pays nothing to visit the poor guy🤷🏽♀️
Remember, if the VISA is denied, you get no refund whatsoever. This may not be significant for 1% of our population, but the amount can actually be more than our national minimum wage. If you don’t book flexible flights and hotels, it’s a disaster. You lose, but they continue making money off you even after denying you entry….how crazy is that? Actually, why are we subjecting ourselves to this? This submissive colonial mentality is a betrayal of our value as a country and I really hope it reaches its expiry date soon.
I have repeatedly travelled to over 60 countries and, yes, I’ve never been denied a VISA, but I recently wanted to host a young African girl whose story as an unemployed graduate touched my heart. Her flights and accommodation were covered, and I actually wrote a letter stating that I will host her for a month. However, her VISA was still denied because she didn’t have money in her own account. This made me angry because this prejudice is targeted specifically at Africans.
Why do we assume that those from Western countries are wealthier and more valuable? They may well be, yes, but what makes us certain without question? Why is the harsh scrutiny reserved for our African brothers and sisters? I’m not suggesting SA should be a free-for-all, but we must be consistent and not self-destructive. These colonial biases, even if unconscious, will continue to divide us and erode our values.
We must drop this submissive, inferiority attitude and command the respect we deserve. We are a valuable nation after all, not some charity case.
The venting session ends.
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Teaching is a calling that you just cannot walk away from. Uthanda ungathandi.
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Enjoy every moment you have because there are no rewinds in life, there are only flashbacks💥
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It’s a new year and you’re given yet another opportunity to start over, make sure you start with renewed determination♥️
Let’s go get the bread💪🏾
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