Helenvale student set to beat odds

AMID the crime, violence and social decay in Nelson Mandela Bay's northern areas, there are bright, young stars rising above their circumstances.

Nico Mentoor, 23, from Hartebees Street in Helenvale, or "Die Gaat" as this area is called, is unquestionably one of these young stars with a bright future ahead of him.

This bubbly third-year teaching student at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), who lives in a cramped wooden shack in his parents' back yard, was chosen by the Stephen Tobias Leadership Development Initiative (STLDI) to go on a month-long exchange programme in the UK in June. - Alvené du Plessi