Age is no barrier for Kangra’s Luvo as he attains his LLB at 46
Luvo Hlazo at his LLB graduation ceremony
Luvo Hlazo, Kangra Control Room Operator, obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree through the University of South Africa (UNISA), while working full-time at the Kangra mine, in Saul Mkhizeville, Mpumalanga. He graduated in September.
Luvo (46), who was born in the small rural village of Lujecweni in the Eastern Cape Province, is the second oldest in a family of 9 children. He also holds an N3 certificate in Electrical Engineering from Witbank Technical College and a National Diploma in Electrical Engineering from the Tshwane University of Technology.
“Growing up I enjoyed history and I have always liked current affairs and politics. Law and politics are intertwined. I believe that a love for history, politics and current affairs has influenced my decision to study law,” Luvo explains.
Luvo says that after a few years of procrastinating, he enrolled for the LLB with UNISA in 2016 during the second semester. Luvo believes it is never too late to acquire new knowledge and skills. “Besides I am a firm believer in lifelong learning and personal development as we learn new things every day.” He points out that it was the late President Nelson Mandela, who said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
One of the big challenges he faced while completing his degree was making time for his family, namely his fiancée and his 16-year-old daughter. He had to alternate his weekends off by spending one weekend off with his family and dedicate the other to meeting assignment deadlines and preparing for examinations, while also ensuring that he got enough rest in order to perform his work duties well. “Keeping a timetable and proper prioritisation of tasks helped me achieve my daily, weekly and monthly study objectives. You can’t afford to lose focus. One needs to be very organized to make it with full-time employment and part-time studies,” Luvo states.
His immediate goal is to complete the Practical Legal Training (PLT) course offered through the Law Society of South Africa - University of South Africa distance learning school (LSSA-UNISA). Upon completion of the course, Luvo intends to attempt to write board exams (attorneys’ admission exams) and then serve articles of clerkship in order to be admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa.
Luvo has been at Kangra for almost a decade, having started working at the mine in September 2013 as an Underground Electrician. In November 2017 he started working as a Shift Controller and then ultimately became a Control Room Operator.
Luvo says that he appreciates Kangra’s management’s support and for allowing him time off to study for and write his examinations. “Kangra is blessed to have Elford Mayixale as its Human Resources Manager. He is also responsible for training and development programmes at the mine and he continuously kept motivating and encouraging me throughout my studies,” he says.
Elford would regularly come to the Control Room, whenever he visited the Adit 4 to inquire about my progress. “Furthermore, my current supervisor Daniel Miller also gave me moral support and words of encouragement. My colleagues covered my shifts when I was away to write examinations. I am truly grateful to God for working with such a wonderful team of considerate individuals,” he concludes.