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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