July 9, 2002
By Thomas Thale
SHE may be grounded in poverty, but Phindile Mzizi, a learner from Orange Farm, believes she can fly. On July 19, she will board a plane for the first time in her life to travel to the Nasa space centre in Houston, Texas to attend the International Space School's 10-day summer school.
"Mzizi will be the first African woman to go into space, although it will be virtual space," says Peter Albertyn, the managing director of Wellness Dynamix, the company which manages projects for Deloitte and Touche, the sponsors of the trip.
The petite 17-year-old was selected by the National Youth Development Trust to represent the country at the ninth annual summer school designed to generate interest in aviation among young learners from across the world.
"Mzizi was chosen because she has never used her poverty as a handicap. She lives in abject poverty, but she never gives excuses for not doing her schoolwork. Last year, she came out tops in all her grade eleven subjects," explains Solly Mkhabela, the principal of the school.
At the space centre, Mzizi will be working alongside astronauts and 39 other youngsters from 20 different countries. She will be the only participant from Africa. "The learners will be divided into four groups and put into simulators to execute the whole trip to Mars," Albertyn explains. "The four groups will virtually execute the launch, the trip into space, the stay on Mars and the return flight."
Mzizi's present circumstances make this scenario look like a flight of fancy. Sitting on the stoep in front of a green rundown shack she shares with her parents and three siblings in Thulamntwana, a completely unserviced transit camp outside Orange Farm, Phindile Mzizi looks like just another kid from the neighbourhood. The only breadwinner in the family is her step-father who works as a cleaner for Khululeka cleaning service. But Mzizi is a dreamer.
"My interest in flying was first kindled in 2000 when our school toured the air force museum in Pretoria. I was impressed by those massive planes and I decided then that I wanted to be an air traffic controller," she says.
The shy teenager makes very little eye contact and, according to Mkhabela, keeps mostly to herself.
"It feels bad to be called disadvantaged," she says, "but I understand that the word is used by people who mean well. I use this label as a source of motivation. I always tell myself that I will work hard to help my family out of poverty." Her mother, Elizabeth Mzizi, cannot hide her excitement at her daughter's achievement, exclaiming "I still can't believe it. I'm so proud of her." She describes her daughter as a very studious person. "Every day when she came back from school, she would do her house chores and go straight to bed. Later when the rest of the family went to bed, she would wake up to do her school work by candlelight."
When other learners are at home enjoying the winter break, learners at Isikhumbuza use the vacation to finish the syllabus and to prepare for the trial examinations. Things have not always been rosy at the school, which, since its establishment in 1990, has been using premises inherited from a chicken farm. In 2000, Isikhumbuza registered a matric pass rate of 13%. Last year, the pass rate rose dramatically to a respectable 70%, even though most of the learners registered for science subjects.
"We know that most of our learners don't have electricity at home. We therefore encourage them to remain on the school premises until about 6pm to do their homework. We also invite speakers from outside and other initiatives to keep them motivated," Mkhabela says.
The school does not have a science laboratory or other science apparatus. "We often have to improvise, we make the most of what we have. Our greatest asset is our learners; they are very enthusiastic about science," says Clifford Baloyi, a science teacher at the school.
But the school, like its newly illustrious learner, now seems destined for greater things. New, fully equipped premises are under construction, thanks to sponsorships from the World Bank and the private sector. Wellness Dynamix has also come on board to establish a fully equipped science academy on the school grounds.
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