University of Pretoria (UP) PhD graduate Abongile Pindo can think of no better way to celebrate graduating with a Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology Development Studies from the Faculty of Humanities than with those closest to her.

“Being with my family and friends is all I want, and that’s how I will celebrate this great achievement,” she says. 

And there’s one person in particular whose support she says brought her to this point: her grandmother, Marhadu Nomangesi Pindo.

“My grandmother isn’t able to travel all the way, so I will wear my PhD attire for her at home and show her the graduation videos,” says Dr Pindo, who hails from the small rural town of eMaxesibeni, formerly known as Mount Ayliff.

She grew up in Mnqwane, a village known for being one of the most disadvantaged in the area. Despite the challenges she faced, her grandmother instilled in her a fighting spirit that propelled her forward.

“All the credit goes to my grandmother, who never gave up on me,” Dr Pindo says. “She made sure that I prospered and got the education I wanted. She’d wake up and pray for me and my siblings; she cried with me when I had no money for transport to university. She sacrificed her Sassa grant to attend to our basic needs and so that we could go to school. 

“I recall her making mud bricks for people to build their houses with in exchange for money, just to make sure we ate. Once, she was almost shot when she and my older siblings were on their way to fetch water for the mud bricks; she prayed that entire day, yet she continued with the work. The pain and suffering was written on her face. Despite all that, she produced graduates and a doctor. Without her, I wouldn’t be Dr Abongile Pindo.”

Dr Pindo’s experiences as a student from a disadvantaged background taught her valuable lessons about resilience, discipline and the importance of community.

“My background changed how I see education; it taught me that it does not matter who you are, where you come from or how big your dreams are – if you put in the work and surround yourself with hope and faith, you will make it.”

During her time at UP, Dr Pindo found a supportive environment that catered to her well-being in a holistic way.

“Being at UP was one of my academic dreams; as a PhD student, I required more than family support; I needed an institution that cared for my psycho-social and academic well-being. UP provided that. My supervisor, Prof Noëleen Murray, and my faculty supported me from the beginning until the end. I’ve heard many stories about people having difficult and unavailable supervisors, but I never experienced that. UP and my supervisor were my second home.”

Dr Pindo’s PhD research focused on community works in rural eMaxesibeni, in the Eastern Cape district of Alfred Nzo. Her research explored state-driven Community Work Programme agricultural sector projects, specifically homestead and communal food gardens, and their impact on sustainable rural livelihoods. The study followed participatory development, asset community development and public choice principal-agent theories.

Growing up in Alfred Nzo and witnessing the underdevelopment and failure of many state-driven policy programmes motivated Dr Pindo to conduct this research. She sought to explore the relevance and contribution of social change programmes targeted at rural livelihoods and economies, particularly in addressing poverty and unemployment issues.

The study found that poor project management and inadequate monitoring and evaluation were significant contributors to the failure of development programmes. However, some households did experience positive changes in their livelihoods due to these initiatives.

As for what’s next, Dr Pindo has no plans to step away from academia.

“My next plan is to be a researcher or postdoctoral fellow as I want to contribute to research knowledge through innovative and cutting-edge research,” she says. 

“The chains of poverty have been broken; poverty did not win,” she adds. “My doctoral qualification is not only for me, but for my family and village. It’s a sign that perseverance and determination do pay off.”