After almost a four-year struggle to obtain her matric certificate, Puseletso Malobola, a former matric learner from Soshanguve, can finally breathe a sigh of relief after the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) intervened to assist her.
In January this year she shared her frustration about her missing certificate, which had been lost from her secondary school in 2021.
She said the loss had derailed her dreams of a career in the hospitality industry as she could not proceed without the certificate.
Things took a turn for the worse when her school withheld her matric results and certificate over an outstanding debt of R650, stemming from the School Improvement Plan, a programme meant to boost learner academic performance.
Puseletso finally managed to scrape together the R650 to settle the outstanding debt, only to be told that her certificate could not be found.
On Monday, she felt a mix of emotions when she received a call from her former school, informing her that she could collect her matric certificate.
The development came after IOL highlighted her struggles in January, catching the attention of a Good Samaritan, Adrian Hall, who took up her case with the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE).
“Your article was the catalyst which I read about in the Argus in Cape Town. On January 13, 2025, I contacted the GDE and the response was poor. The spokesperson didn’t even respond. I then wrote to the MEC who handed the task over. It was basically clear there was apathy and I went from pillar to post with no concrete results,” she said.
Mabona had also not responded to media inquiries sent to him regarding Puseletso’s matric certificate three months ago.
Hall said she persisted in helping Puseletso, going as far as writing over 20 emails to various officials although progress was slow and success was limited.
Her last resort was the SAHRC in Gauteng, and fortunately, they took up her case and ran with it.
She said: “You simply cannot register to study without a certificate. It is unlawful and unconstitutional to deprive one of a certificate. I became absolutely desperate for Puseletso ‘rotting away’ at home.”
Puseletso said: "When I finally received my certificate, I felt mixed emotions. I couldn't help but think about the opportunities I missed out on because my matric certificate was unavailable."
She explained that last week the GDE contacted her mom, who missed the call because she was at work.
"They called me on Monday and asked me to come to school with a copy of my ID. But when I arrived, they shifted the blame, saying I was at fault for not collecting my results and certificate sooner. I think they are forgetting that I saw the certificate at school, but was refused access to it due to outstanding fees," she said.
She expressed her excitement about starting anew, saying she looked forward to applying for courses in the hospitality industry now that she had her certificate.