Papi Mthombeni left a stable teaching career to pursue his dream of becoming a pharmacist. Now a UL graduate, he’s proving that it’s never too late to start. Photo: France Nkhaphele
By Jeanette Makhura – ulpublications@ul.a.za
Not many people would leave a stable job with a guaranteed income to pursue an old dream
But Papi Mthombeni (33), did just that. Today, he proudly stands proudly among the graduates of the 2025 Autumn Graduation Ceremonies at the University of Limpopo (UL), holding a Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree that cost him nearly everything but has given him even more.
Born and raised in Acornhoek, a quiet rural town in Mpumalanga, Mthombeni always aspired to work in healthcare, with pharmacy being his ultimate dream. However, life had other plans.
Before filling prescriptions or counselling patients, Mthombeni made a name for himself in the field of numbers. He earned a BSc in Mathematics and Chemistry in 2015, followed by an Honours in Mathematics the next year. By 2017, he transitioned into teaching, completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and becoming a high school maths and science teacher.
For four years, he taught passionately earning a promotion to Head of Department in 2020. However, in early 2021, just as his official appointment letter landed in his hands, Mthombeni had already made a life-altering decision, he enrolled at UL to study pharmacy.
“I had to choose between comfort and calling,” he recalls. “It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, but deep down, I knew pharmacy was where I belonged.”
This leap of faith came without a safety net. Unlike his earlier qualifications, which were fully funded, this time he was on his own.
“The first two years were tough. I relied entirely on my savings. There were times I wasn’t sure how I would make it to the next semester,” he says. “By my third-year, I started working weekend locums at Clicks. The pay wasn’t much, but it helped me stay afloat.”Relief came in his final-year when he was awarded a HWSETA bursary—support that, in his words, “meant survival.”
Mthombeni emphasises that UL’s pharmacy programme demanded more than intelligence, it required resilience. “The block system is intense. You focus on one module at a time, and within six weeks, you’re expected to write two tests, give two presentations, and sit for two exams,” he explains. “It’s relentless, but it teaches discipline. You either adapt or you fail.”
“I’ve learned never to underestimate myself,” he says. “Every challenge reminded me to finish what I start—and to finish it well.”
His graduation is not just a personal achievement, it’s a family milestone. He is the first in his family to attend university. “Now my siblings have someone to look up to. That means everything to me.”
Today, Mthombeni is completing his pharmacist internship at Malamulele Hospital, finally living the dream he once thought he had left behind.
Though he now wears a white coat, behind it is the heart of an educator, the mind of a mathematician, and the spirit of someone who dared to start over.
To students still navigating their own difficult paths, his message is clear:
“Do whatever it takes to earn that degree. It won’t be easy—there will be sleepless nights, packed lecture halls, and moments of doubt. But do your best, and let God do the rest.”