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36

M U T

S P I R I T

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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

Alumnus scores a career break in Saudi Arabia

The spirit of giving back is the essence of a successful life

Building a career abroad means

learning new norms, cultures and most

importantly, being willing to accept

cultural differences as an answer for

why certain things can’t be done.

Thabani Khanyile is a mechanical

engineering graduate from the Class

of 1990 who found better career

prospects in Saudi Arabia and seized

the opportunity with both hands.

Thabani, who used to picture himself

designing cars for Toyota, now works

for one of the world’s biggest oil companies, Saudi

Aramco, which has more than 79 000 employees and

7 refineries.

Khanyilebelieves that the lessgraduates tie themselves

to their homestead, the better their mental growth

and openness to new adventures and international

experience will be. Mechanical engineering was a

great window that opened all these

opportunities for him in the 1990s.

Back then, being at a university was

the greatest opportunity for a black

child from a rural area. “Our lecturers

where open-minded and understood

that English was not our first language.

Fortunately, they understood the

challenges of the community of Umlazi.

They inspired and displayed patience

which helped in building our confidence

to study hard,” he said.

Khanyile also owns a logistics company currently

operating in South Africa, called Sesikhanyile

Logistics. It is responsible for transporting goods.

His vision is to return to South Africa in a couple of

years to expand his business and use the skills he has

acquired to enhance the experiences of graduates of

his alma mater, Mangosuthu University of Technology.

Doing a National Diploma in Accounting

and B.Tech in Cost and Management

Accounting at MUT was a well thought-

through decision Smanga Mathonsi

made after completing his matric at

Tshana High School in his hometown of

Mandeni on the north coast of KwaZulu-

Natal.

Mathonsi received his two qualifications

in 2014 and 2015 respectively, and

is currently CEO of Dunga Creations,

an accounting and taxation firm that he founded in

2017 and which currently has five diverse operations.

Mathonsi says that no industry is immune to change

and that inspiration rarely arrives when you are doing

the same thing every day. He is currently pursuing a

Master’s degree in Cost and Management Accounting

at Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

Determination and hard work have landed Mathonsi

accolades from the beginning of his career, which

started in 2015 with a six-month stint at Virtual Back

Office. In May 2018, he aced his board exams and

became qualified as a professional

accountant and tax practitioner.

Mathonsi credits some of his success

to the ENACTUS organisation at MUT.

Being part of it made him realise that

the future of the country is in the hands

of the youth who take leadership roles

and are eager to find solutions through

entrepreneurship.

As an active student, he was elected to be

part of theENACTUSnational competition representing

MUT in Johannesburg. They competed with more

than 21 universities and managed to achieve fourth

position for the first time since ENACTUS’ inception at

MUT. This is one of his best memories and he holds it

close to his heart.

“My passion is helping students. The experience I

have gained over the years is that in life, most times we

have to give without expecting anything in return. This

creates a culture of givers and God rewards selfless

givers with what they never imagined,” he said.

Thabani Khanyile

Smanga Mathonsi