Andile Sibandze earns his stripes!

For Andile Sibandze, graduating with an Associate Degree in Public Relations was more than completing a qualification. It fulfilled a dream he had carried through years of uncertainty, difficult decisions, financial struggles, and time away from the classroom.

At 30, the founder and chief executive officer of Andile Footwear stood among the graduates at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology on Wednesday, finally holding the certificate he had worked so hard to obtain. As Ministry of Labour and Social Security Principal Secretary Makhosini Mndawe handed him his scroll, Sibandze struggled to contain his emotions. Senator Stukie Motsa was there to comfort him as the moment unfolded.

For those watching, the tears offered a glimpse into the years behind his achievement. For Sibandze, they marked the end of a journey that had taken him far beyond the classroom.

His achievement is particularly significant because his education did not follow the path he had initially imagined. While some of his peers proceeded to tertiary institutions after completing high school, Sibandze spent years working, trying to find his footing and figuring out how he would finance the education he wanted.

Raised in Lavundlamanti, Sibandze completed his secondary education at Lavundlamanti High School in 2015. His results were not what he had hoped for, and furthering his education immediately was not an option. Rather than abandon the idea altogether, he took on different jobs as he tried to make a living.

He worked as a cashier at Shoprite at the Manzini Bus Rank and at Spar. In 2018, he served as an elections clerk and later participated in the national population census. He also worked at a Galp filling station.

These were the jobs available to him at the time, and he took them while continuing to think about his future. Sibandze has said that he does not look down on people who work in manual or entry-level positions. However, he believed he could achieve more through education and remained determined to find a way back into the classroom.

His plans were complicated by personal loss. In 2017, he lost his mother on his birthday, a day that should have been marked by celebration but instead became one of the most difficult dates in his life.

Before her death, his mother had asked him about his plans to further his education. That conversation remained with him and became one of the reasons he eventually decided to return to school.

He had spent six years away from the classroom before making that decision a reality. The years away had not erased his ambition, but returning to education as an adult meant he would have to make sacrifices and find ways to support himself while studying.

With limited family support, Sibandze travelled to South Africa, where he enrolled at Bambanani High School to complete his matric. He returned to school in Grade 11 at the age of 25, a decision that required him to put aside any concerns about being older than many of the other learners.

His journey was not without serious difficulties. Sibandze has spoken openly about experiencing periods of deep distress, including two suicide attempts. He wrote his first matric examination paper while in hospital in South Africa following one of those attempts.

After enrolling for tertiary education, he spent 18 days at a psychiatric centre following another attempt, which he linked to the pressure and hunger he experienced during that period of his life.

These experiences form part of his story, but they are not the sum of it. Sibandze continued working towards his education, even when the circumstances around him made it difficult to see how he would finish. His decision to speak about his experiences also provides an opportunity to draw attention to the importance of mental health and the need for people who are struggling to seek support.

His return to education was accompanied by another undertaking that would eventually become a significant part of his life: Andile Footwear.

While trying to complete his studies, Sibandze started selling shoes under the business name. Building the business gave him another way to earn an income while pursuing his qualification, although balancing the two responsibilities was not always easy.

He had to think about his education while also finding ways to sustain himself. His brother was studying abroad, and Sibandze largely had to work out how to meet his own needs. The business became part of that effort, allowing him to pursue his ambitions rather than wait for circumstances to improve.

One of the most memorable aspects of his experience has been the support he received from people who were not necessarily part of his immediate circle. Sibandze recalled how some people believed in his footwear business enough to deposit money upfront, trusting him to deliver on his plans.

For an entrepreneur trying to establish himself, that trust mattered. These individuals were willing to support his vision despite having little personal history with him. Their contributions helped him continue building something of his own at a time when he was still working towards completing his education.

The experience also shaped his appreciation for the people who stood by him. Sibandze acknowledged that reaching graduation was not something he had done entirely on his own. Along the way, he encountered people who offered encouragement, practical support and the confidence to keep moving forward.

He expressed particular gratitude to his sister, Nomachule Dlamini-Ginindza, for standing by him throughout his journey. He described her support as invaluable, recognising the role she played during some of his most difficult years.

He also thanked his friend Siboniso, whom he described as having become a brother to him through the love and support he offered.

Special appreciation was reserved for his adoptive mother, LaMvulane. Sibandze described her as someone who found him “on the road of life” and welcomed him into her family without judging his past.

Her acceptance was significant to him, particularly given the difficulties he had experienced. It was a reminder that support can come from people who choose to stand beside someone, even when they are not bound by family ties.

By the time he arrived at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology's graduation ceremony, Sibandze had spent years working towards the qualification. His return to high school, his subsequent enrolment at a tertiary institution at 27 and his efforts to establish Andile Footwear had all required him to manage competing responsibilities.

Graduating with an Associate Degree in Public Relations therefore represented both an academic accomplishment and the completion of a personal goal that had taken considerably longer than he had once expected.

The ceremony brought together the different parts of his journey: the young man who had left school without the results he wanted, the worker who took available opportunities to support himself, the entrepreneur who built a footwear business and the student who returned to education when many might have considered the opportunity lost.

Sibandze's tears as he received his certificate reflected the significance of that moment. He had reached a stage in his life that, for years, he had struggled to imagine.

His story also challenges the idea that education must happen at a particular age or according to a fixed timetable. Returning to Grade 11 at 25 and graduating from tertiary education at 30 meant taking a route different from that of many people his age. It did not make the qualification any less meaningful.

For Sibandze, the achievement is tied to the people who helped him along the way, the business he started while trying to finance his future, and the determination to continue pursuing education despite setbacks.

As he reflects on his journey, he has also spoken about the importance of mental health, drawing on experiences that he knows can be difficult to discuss openly. His willingness to share those experiences places another dimension alongside his achievement as a graduate and entrepreneur.

Andile Footwear remains part of that journey, as does the support of the people who believed in him when he was still building his future. His graduation is a reminder that returning to an unfinished goal can require patience, help from others and the willingness to begin again.

At 30, Sibandze has a qualification to his name and a business he has worked to establish. The road between the two was not straightforward, but he reached the stage he had once struggled to imagine.

This time, when he stood before the crowd, he was not returning to the classroom or sitting for another examination. He was receiving the certificate that confirmed he had completed his studies.