Thabang Mathebula
The combination of her penchant for running and her insatiable desire to inspire youth to pursue education is the relentless driving force behind her successes.
An advocate for athletics at heart, KwaZulu-Natal-based Mnambithi TVET College alumni Zinhle Tshabalala, is in for a dual-life-changing milestone in a split second.
Just a week ago, on Friday, October 27, Tshabalala graduated with a diploma in human resources management. This coming weekend, on Saturday, November 5, the ultra-runner will be representing South Africa in the 50km World Championships, set to take place in Hyderabad, India.
Tshabalala was among the three hundred and twenty-three (323) students who graduated with diplomas in nine different courses: business management, education, electrical engineering, financial management, hospitality and catering services, human resources management, management assistant, public management, and tourism.
“The youths tend to take sports for granted. Sport and study are a good combination. It teaches discipline, which means being consistent, punctual, and committed. This is what you can also apply in your studies,” Zinhle said.
She attributed this milestone to the unwavering support of her family and coach.
“It is not easy to be an elite runner and study at the same time. My daily schedule is always tight. I am required to do two training sessions in a day." "The first one is early in the morning before classes, and another one is in the afternoon. Running at a high level, recovery is very important. But when you have other things to do, you must compromise.
“After my afternoon session, I would go home to freshen up and then study afterwards. I would usually sleep for five hours, then wake up at 4 AM for my morning training session,” said Tshabalala.
Prior to enrolling at the TVET college in 2019, Tshabalala was working at a Spar outlet, where she later took a long, deliberated, and hard decision to resign to pursue her studies at Mnambithi TVET College, a choice that later afforded her ample time to also focus on improving her running.
“While I was still working, I did not have enough time to train. I then decided to resign to focus my attention on studying and running. Not long after that, financial constraints forced me to hunt for another job to support her family,” she said.
Despite all these challenges—having to burn the candle at both ends, juggling between work, studying, and training—she ultimately beat the odds.
“Through this, I learned that if you really want something and it means the world to you, you must fight for it no matter what. I am happy that my hard work has earned me a diploma and this opportunity to represent my country in the World 50km Championships.
Currently, Tshabalala is furthering her studies at the University of South Africa, where she is pursuing sport science.
"In the future, I want to establish a foundation that focuses on grooming young runners and also encouraging them to study, she said.
During her elementary school days, Tshabalala represented KZN in a series of cross countries and represented the country in England in the schools’ cross country.
“Always remember where you come from. Keep your focus. Hard work pays off,” she said.