Christian Jeftha

My name is Christian Jeftha. I am from a small community on the Cape Flats in Cape Town called Vrygrond. I live near the West Coast so I do enjoy a fresh-caught fish. Sometimes I am the fisherman in that story. Coming from a disadvantaged family and growing up in a community like Vrygrond is tough. As a young person, you are constantly exposed to drug and alcohol abuse, gangsterism and unemployment. This can make it very difficult to find the right role model.

There are many people with hearts of gold in my community and in our beautiful land. I stuck to the values that I was taught- respect, discipline and honesty. I always knew I wanted to do something with my life. I was worth more. I wanted to make a positive impact in my community, in the world too. I had to do something about it. I saw a need to empower myself through education- the key that can open so many doors.

After completing matric, I had a general love for engineering. I was exposed to many trades in the engineering field because of the developing community I was growing up in. I was then introduced to the Communiversity of South Africa in Vrygrond and joined their programme. I learned a lot of life skills too, which are very helpful in my everyday life like Transcendental Meditation. The programme opened my eyes to new possibilities. I always had questions when it came to engineering things. How? Why? What? When? After completing the Communiversity programme, I went on to study electrical engineering and fitting & turning. I hope to become a millwright/electrical fitter soon. I am currently in my first year at a high-level engineering job for the City of Cape Town. I wish to inspire more young people to reach for their dreams. Whatever it is, you can achieve it. Work hard and set goals for yourself.