Mdantsane prisoner gains honours degree

Written by Xolisa Mgwatyu

Hard work and determination have paid off for a Mdantsane inmate, who last week graduated with an honours degree in education.

Mzolisi Nikani, 40, is serving a 19- year prison sentence after being found guilty of murder. He was convicted in 2002 of killing two men he claimed had tried to steal goods from him at a traditional ceremony in Peddie in 2001. Nikani drew a knife and stabbed the two men to death; a third man managed to escape uninjured.

The former teacher has used his time behind bars to further his education and on Friday finally obtained his honours degree, specialising in mathematics, from the University of South Africa.

“This has been not a smooth road, but with my dedication and a purpose in life, it became so smooth,” he told the Dispatch from prison yesterday.

Nikani said he decided to further his education because he believed the education system was failing to provide children with a good education – especially with teachers lacking skills in maths and science.

“Having taught for five years, I feel I can play a pivotal role in our children’s education,” Nikani said, adding that he hoped to return to the teaching profession once he is released.

He started studying towards his honours degree in 2008 while at St Albans Prison in Port Elizabeth. Last year he was transferred to Mdantsane Prison.

“I continued studying in the same spirit that I had while still in PE – the new environment wasn’t an obstacle.”

But studying has not been plain- sailing for him.

Nikani yesterday told of how other inmates thought he had “gone crazy” because he was studying.

“Others were teasing me, saying I am studying law. I did not care much about them for I knew where it would get me,” he said.

He said he also had personal issues to deal with, which made it even more difficult.

“I always made sure I had three spare hours during the day because I wasn’t able to study at night.”

Other challenges included strict deadlines – as he studied through correspondence – not being able to use the Internet for research, and having to negotiate for a place to study within the prisons.

Eastern Cape regional commissioner for Correctional Services Nontsikelelo Jolingana said the department was excited to have a man of Nikani’s calibre in their care.

“We are so proud of him, especially because he chose one of the subjects, maths, which is still problematic in our education system,” she said.

Jolingana said Nikani appeared before the parole board last year, which recommended that he be further “profiled” before a decision could be made on when he could be released. She said the authorities “wish him all the best”.

(This story is courtesy of The Dispatch. Used with permission.)