Grandmother of deaf top achiever proud to take her first flight to Joburg

The 70-year-old grandmother of a deaf top achiever is elated as a celebration event gave her the opportunity to fly in an aircraft and visit Johannesburg for the first time. 

Tholakele Madlala from Mbali in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, told TimesLIVE she was over the moon. 

As the caregiver of her grandson Thando Eloka, she attended a breakfast hosted by basic education minister Angie Motshekga and her deputy Reginah Mhaule to honour top achievers. 

“I've never been on a flight and I thought I would die without having boarded one. What this child did is just too amazing!” she said.

“His achievement not only made us proud as a family but it came with a wonderful lifetime experience we never thought we would see or get to experience. I feel like an important person because we've been treated like VIPs since our arrival on Wednesday. I'm really happy,” she said.

Another proud parent, Nelisiwe Khumalo, 56, also from KZN, said she was proud of her son's achievement. 

He had been a top achiever from a young age and she was overjoyed that he was among the country's top achievers. 

“I have three other children who matriculated and received good results, but they never got to be among the top achievers. This is heartwarming and big for us,” the mother said. 

Motshekga is expected to make the official announcements.

TimesLIVE