Accountant turns into pupils’ dream-catcher

Chartered accountant Thapelo Kuze has given up a life of boardrooms to pursue his passion for transforming the education sector.

Non-governmental organisation the Thapelo Kuze Foundation (TKF) seeks to bridge the gap between pupils, university students and professionals through developing peer mentoring programmes.

Summerstrand resident Kuze, 33, launched the TKF on Tuesday at a capacity-filled Nangoza Jebe Hall in New Brighton. This was after retiring from his position as a CA at Aspen Pharmaceuticals this month.

But it has not been an easy road for the New Brighton-born Kuze. He said in Grade 10 – through “an imagination forged by reading” – he had envisioned becoming a CA and worked relentlessly to improve his marks and finally achieve his goal.

Kuze said while sitting in a board meeting in Dubai his dream of enriching education to be more inclusive of creative thinking and allowing pupils to dream beyond their circumstance had really hit him.

It has taken him about two years to develop the model, which will be piloted at schools in and around New Brighton.

“If a child is given the chance to dream and the resources to acquire that dream, he or she can live in that vision,” Kuze said.
“The idea of the foundation is to teach pupils how to study, because at the moment the curriculum is focused on what they study.

“Through identifying top performers in the area and getting them to teach their peers how to study – instead of what they study – they will be able to learn anything.

“Linking these pupils with students and subsequently professionals enables them to be better prepared for the next step of their journey, with the same principal applying for [university] students.”

Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol Trollip was also on hand to congratulate Kuze and motivate the more than 300 pupils in attendance to pursue commercially relevant fields of study.

“Matric is not enough anymore . . . Take the time to investigate your future path. Be sure to develop yourself and choose a career that matters and will still be needed in years to come,” he said.

Nelson Mandela University BComm accounting student Onela Manana, who is also president of the TKF learner executive committee, said Kuze’s dedication to enriching education would be key to TKF’s success.

“This foundation can and will play a pivotal role in shaping education in the area and as New Brighton residents and pupils we want to thank him for investing so much of himself for us, ” Manana said.