Nomfundo Mthembu, who sacrificed the comfort of her home to rent a back room in order to be closer to school, is reaping the rewards. She came second in place as the KwaZulu Natal top achiever from the non-fee paying school academy and was among the 30 National Senior Certificate top achievers in the country. The 18-year-old from Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal attended Nkosi Ntulakabayise High School.

Speaking to Zimoja, Nomfundo said she was shocked when she received a call telling her that out over 800 000 learners who participated in the matric exams countrywide this year, she was part of the top 30. "I still can't believe it, but I know and am confident that I am deserving because I put in the work and took responsibility for my own life." She said she asked her parents to go rent a backroom with other learners closer to school because her home was too far and travelling time meant her missing out on studying. "Travelling was wasting my time and to me, every second counted. School started at 6:30 and went out at 14:30. I would take a bit of time to rest and eat after then I'd go back to my books for four hours straight and that was my daily routine," she said.

Nomfundo said she often got mocked at school that she was a favourite with the teachers and that she used muthi to get good grades.

"All their comments broke my heart because I spent sleepless nights studying and my peers thought I got good grades because the teachers liked me or that I was using muthi. Fortunately, enough for me my mother and uncle always had my back. They encouraged me to ignore all the noise and focus on my future and because I listened to them, I am here today among the greatest, "said Nomfundo, adding that she wants to pursue a career in medicine and has applied at the University of Cape Town.