Hidden treasure comes to light

Treasure Vilankulu, Gugulethu junior engineering planner

Treasure Vilankulu’s ability to excel in mathematics and science was not always apparent until he challenged himself to work harder during his matric year. Treasure, a Junior Engineering Planner at Gugulethu Colliery, says the course of his life changed from then on, giving him the confidence to study electrical engineering. “Everything changed from that point. For the first time in my life, I became the best student in maths and science,” he says.

After matriculating at PP Hlungwani High School in Malamulele, Limpopo during 2012, Treasure left the comfort of his home and everything familiar to him to study in Gauteng. Initially, he thought of looking for employment and then going to study afterwards, but Treasure’s father insisted on his son getting tertiary education sooner rather than later. “When you are young, you think everything is easy. I thought I would just look for a job, but fortunately, my father insisted that I study further,” says Treasure.

Arriving in Pretoria to enroll at the Tshwane University of Technology in 2013, Treasure was also startled by the expensive tuition fees. “I thought there was no way my family could afford that amount, it was R26 000 a year or something,” he says. Treasure applied for a National Student Financial Aid Scheme loan to carry on with his studies. “That also motivated me to focus, knowing just how high the costs were,” he remarks. He obtained his electrical engineering diploma in 2015.

With six years of experience behind him, Treasure now feels his dream of obtaining his GCC certificate and becoming a senior engineer is within reach. His main responsibilities at Gugulethu include ensuring that machines are maintained and serviced according to schedule, capturing job cards, and everything else related to planning within the mine’s engineering department