<\/p>\n
Durban \u2013 Her hands were not meant for washing dishes or other domestic duties; they were destined to save lives.<\/p>\n
Pamela Mahlangu\u2019s career as a medical doctor continues to flourish, and, at age 29, she has hopes of reaching greater heights in her \u201cdream come true\u201d profession.<\/p>\n
The Johannesburg-based Dr Mahlangu, who works as a medical officer at Tembisa Hospital, completed a Diploma in HIV Medicine at the College of Medicine South Africa, earlier this year.<\/p>\n
In spite of her successes in the field of medicine, Mahlangu, who hails from Phoenix, Durban, still looks back fondly on the 10 years she worked part-time as a domestic worker to fund her studies and supplement her family\u2019s meagre earnings.<\/p>\n Her mother Thembi Sithole tried her best to love and provide for Mahlangu and her two older siblings, but being without formal employment presented some challenges for her closely-knit family.<\/p>\n During Mahlangu\u2019s school days her siblings were in varsity and also worked to keep the home fires burning.<\/p>\n Being the type of person who prefers to get things done for herself, Mahlangu was determined to make her own income.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was an opportunity given to me by an older lady from my church around Christmas in 2008. She wanted someone to wash dishes during a Christmas eve dinner at her boss\u2019 home on a Mount Edgecombe estate.\u201d<\/p>\n After that experience, Mahlangu continued doing domestic duties at the estate, mainly for Val Shirley\u2019s family, until she graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal\u2019s medical school in 2017.<\/p>\n \u201cI never saw it as something demeaning or lowering my dignity, I saw it as a holiday job that helped me buy uniforms, stationery for school and textbooks for varsity.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t earning me much, about R100 a day, which helped me with some of my basic expenses and toiletries.\u201d<\/p>\n Mahlangu was satisfied with doing what was necessary to achieve her objectives.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way I portrayed the whole experience of doing domestic work in my storytelling, my friends at varsity found it very interesting and didn\u2019t look down on me.<\/p>\n \u201cMy stories on what a Christmas dinner looked like \u2026 for those of us who didn\u2019t grow up with carol singing, elaborate and lavish dinners and gifts under the tree, my friends were fascinated.\u201d<\/p>\n Mahlangu said her peers didn\u2019t see her as a domestic worker but as someone who had a taste of what life is like on the other side, similar to the movies.<\/p>\n Having completed matric at Greenbury Secondary in 2011, she had the backing of her Campbell\u2019s Town community as she pursued her dream profession.<\/p>\n They knew her to be an \u201cA\u201d student and understood her situation at home and the part-time work she did.<\/p>\n Mahlangu said the violence and riots of July 2021 was \u201cdisheartening\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI spent my entire life in Phoenix and went to what was previously known as \u2018Indian schools\u2019 and always considered myself a part of the community\u2026 but the looting, violence and acts of racism was very disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n After completing her medical degree, Mahlangu opted to do her internship at the Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg. That decision was motivated by her then boyfriend and now husband, Nqobile, being based there.<\/p>\n The couple have two young children aged 22 and 9 months and live in Randburg, about 45 km away from Tembisa.<\/p>\n She said it was very difficult getting to work this week, amid all the protest action in the area.<\/p>\n Mahlangu said she was naturally a calm person, and with time and experience she has learnt how to approach each patient and think on her feet.<\/p>\n \u201cIt also helps that I like to make decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n She said her recent HIV qualification was hugely beneficial as many patients she attended to were HIV positive.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will help me in the future if I decide to specialise in internal medicine because infectious diseases is a big topic now and a large percentage of our population are HIV positive.\u201d<\/p>\n Mahlangu was grateful for the support she received from her family which has enabled her to excel at her job.<\/p>\n She appreciated the influence of her mother, who she regards as being a woman of \u201cprayer, strength and resilience\u201d.<\/p>\n While Mahlangu is satisfied her children won\u2019t lack materially, she still wants to instil in them a determination to \u201cwork for their life\u2019s needs and to be humble and respect people from all walks of life\u201d.<\/p>\n