One more step to making it

NONKULULEKO XABA, LAB ASSISTANT

While pursuing her studies for a national diploma in chemical engineering at Majuba TVET College, Nonkululeko Xaba faced challenges. It was her dream of one day wearing a white coat and working in a laboratory that kept her going.

“This motivated me to push through the difficult times and study hard,” she explains. By September 2025, Nonkululeko became part of Kangra’s cadet programme, which is a component of her in-service training required to complete her diploma.

She applied for the cadet programme after seeing an advert. “I was very happy when I learnt that I was successful because I knew that this would be the start of my career,” she says.

The cadet programme proved to be a breakthrough for Nonkululeko who was looking for opportunities after obtaining her N6 qualifications.

She spent two months at Kangra’s processing plant before moving to the laboratory. She explains that the cadet programme exposed her to various aspects of chemical engineering. At the plant, she learnt about washing, crushing and separating coal, the different types of coal, product discard, the use of cyclones and flocculants during coal processing.  She also learned how to prepare coal samples and analyse them.

 “I really enjoy working at the lab because I am familiar with most of what I learnt from Majuba, enabling me to apply my theoretical knowledge to my work,” says Nonkululeko.  She’s now focused on gaining the knowledge and expertise needed to obtain a Coal Preparation Certificate, bringing her a step closer to achieving her dreams.