“Being debt-free allows me to enjoy being a student. I feel seen. I feel worthy.” - Londeka Gumede
At 24, Londeka Gumede is living a dream she once feared would slip through her fingers. Today, she is a Bachelor of Commerce Honours student at Rhodes University, and her journey has been held up not only by academic ability but by unwavering determination and the quiet belief that her future is worth fighting for.
She comes from the rural town of Umbumbulu in KwaZulu-Natal, where every achievement is earned through effort and intention. After upgrading her Matric results, she applied to Rhodes University, encouraged by someone who recognised her potential and helped her submit the application. That simple act of faith shifted the course of her life.
Yet perseverance does not erase financial barriers. To secure her place for Honours, Londeka spent an entire year saving for her registration fee. A DVC scholarship supported part of her studies, but a historic NSFAS shortfall of R32 750 remained on her account, threatening the very possibility of graduating despite all her hard work.
This kind of debt is not just a balance to be paid. It lingers on a student’s shoulders, turning hope into anxiety. For many students, it becomes the quiet obstacle that stands between years of sacrifice and the simple joy of holding a graduation parchment. It delays opportunities. It silences celebration. It pauses possibilities.
For Londeka, that weight lifted unexpectedly. One afternoon, she received a call from the Financial Aid Office. Later, when she logged into her student portal, she saw that her debt had been cleared. She cried, not from relief alone, but from the realisation that someone had chosen to stand beside her and invest in her future. She understood that her effort had been seen and that she mattered.
Becoming debt-free changed everything. It returned her breath. It restored her confidence. It gave her back the joy of learning. She now participates freely in her academic life, focuses on her research without panic and dreams even further into the future. She hopes to pursue a Master’s in Information Systems and looks forward to uplifting another student the way she has been uplifted.
“Being debt-free allows me to enjoy being a student,” she says. “I feel seen. I feel worthy.”
Her story is a powerful reminder of what student funding truly does. It does not simply settle a fee. It protects dignity. It keeps ambition alive. It unlocks doors that students have worked tirelessly to reach. It makes room for dreams to go beyond survival and grow into excellence.
Londeka’s journey is only one of many. Across Rhodes University, students filled with talent, resilience and hope are waiting for someone to help unlock the futures they have already worked so hard to build. A contribution, no matter how small, becomes the bridge between potential and opportunity and between pressure and possibility.
Support the Unlocking Futures student debt campaign here:
https://www.givengain.com/campaign/unlocking-futures-rus-student-debt-fundraising-campaign