Before the PhD and lecture halls, Mlondolozi Ndlovu was just a boy walking 5km to fetch firewood, using umfuma animal fat as lotion and wearing one school uniform that he washed at night and wore while damp the next day.
Despite these struggles, and social welfare only partially covering his fees, 44-year-old Ndlovu now holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Johannesburg.
As the fifth of 13 children, Ndlovu said his education often hung in the balance.
