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Poverty porn painful reminder of how society is failing black students

Not possible to know Ngobese’s story and not be touched by the generosity of strangers

A week ago, University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) student, Dumisani Ngobese’s emotional graduation photo trended on social media. The young man from a rural area outside Empangeni was photographed crying as he walked across the stage to receive his Bachelor of Arts degree.

Ngobese was raised by his maternal grandmother who was a street vendor and the sole breadwinner in a household with more than 10 children. It is for this reason that unlike his peers, he could not afford a suit for the special occasion. He wore a black golf T-shirt, black chino pants and white sneakers. The poignant image of a weeping Ngobese captured the hearts of millions of South Africans and it was not long after this that a Durban-based businessman offered Ngobese a job. Many other people made monetary pledges to him...

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