Durban – “I don’t have matric, but I have a successful business. School is not for everyone, so be your child’s counsellor and sit down with them ahead of matric results coming out.”
That’s the advice of Max Mqadi, the owner of the popular Max’s Lifestyle in uMlazi, in the run-up to the release of the matric results for IEB schools on Monday, and nationally on January 5.
As the pressure of passing matric weighs heavily on young matriculants’ shoulders, Mqadi said he encouraged education, but reminded them there were some young people who had a tertiary degree, but had failed to get employment. He also warned about giving up too easily when failure struck.
“Life is not always about passing first time. If you fail matric, you must know to stand up and fight again. You can always rewrite, just change your attitude. Never sit down and complain ‘I don’t have this’ or ‘I don’t have that’,” he said.
He said that circumstances could often play a role, for example not having electricity, making it difficult to study.
“Sometimes you fail because of circumstances, not because you are dumb,” he said.
Mqadi, who has seven children, faced many bumps and bruises in his own road to success, but said perseverance and having a vision kept him going.
When he was still at school, he started making money by selling apples. “We would buy apples at the market and then take the train from uMlazi to Berea. When we had sold them, we would go back and get more. I think I was born a business person,” he said.