Linda Dube celebrates her master’s graduation after completing her degree while grieving the loss of her mother.
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Sukoluhle Linda Dube was mid-tournament in Kimberley when she received the call that changed everything.
In the early hours of 4 December 2024, while representing Stellenbosch University, she learnt that her mother had died.
She did not leave. She stayed on and played.
“I was in shock. I couldn’t cry,” Dube said. “My teammates and coaches formed the most wonderful support network around me. I will never forget it.”
Last week, she graduated with a master’s degree in economics from Stellenbosch University, completing it during one of the most difficult periods of her life.
Now a junior lecturer in the university’s Department of Economics, her achievement reflects both academic success and personal resilience.
Dube grew up in Osabeni village in Plumtree, Zimbabwe, with limited access to basic services.
“We come from a village where there’s no electricity, no water,” she said.
Her father died when she was two, leaving her mother, Qedisani, to raise the family under difficult circumstances. Financial support from siblings helped sustain the household over time.
Her path to higher education was made possible by her sister, Dr Thembani Dube, a lecturer at Stellenbosch University, who enabled her to study through a staff rebate.
“There was no way I could afford to go to university,” Dube said.
She progressed through undergraduate and honours studies before enrolling for a master’s degree, supported by a bursary.
But as her studies intensified in 2024, her mother’s health deteriorated. After travelling to South Africa for a second opinion, the cancer was confirmed to be at stage four.
“We were devastated,” Dube said.
Despite this, she continued with her studies.
“I wrote exams with such a weight on my shoulders. I don’t know how I did it.”
Football became a critical outlet. As a centre back for the Maties women’s team, she relied on the sport for structure and relief.
“For me, football is my happy place,” she said.
That sense of escape was tested during the University Sport South Africa football championships in Kimberley, where her mother’s condition worsened.
When the call came, teammates and coaches rallied around her, many in tears.
“Everyone cried and supported me. They became my pillars of strength,” she said.
It was only days later, at her mother’s funeral in Zimbabwe, that the reality of the loss fully set in.
“At the burial site the impact of the final goodbye finally hit me. I started crying and couldn’t stop.”
With support from her supervisor, colleagues, family and partner, she pushed through to complete her degree.
To mark her graduation, Dube hosted a celebration at the Maties Football clubhouse, bringing together those who supported her through the most difficult period of her life.
She is now preparing to begin a PhD in economics next year, with plans to build a career in academia.
“I’m living proof that things will work out in the end,” she said.