Quite simply, the nine-hour drive from their home in Matatiele in the northern part of the Eastern Cape to Gqeberha was just too costly. However, his father and younger sister made it to his media studies honours graduation this year.

His family’s absence at the previous graduation is just one way of illustrating what it means to be a “missing-middle” student in South Africa, the term for those who fall into a perilous financial gap. 

Erasmus did not qualify for the government’s National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). To qualify, requires an annual family income of less than R350 000. His mother is a high school teacher, his father is a self-employed insurance broker receive an income more than the NSFAS requirement but not enough to pay for their children’s university studies. 

However, judging by his consistency in obtaining distinctions in all his subjects, Erasmus is clearly worthy of being at university. In fact, the BA degree that he obtained in 2023 was his second degree at Mandela University, his first was a BSc in Environmental Sciences, received in 2019.  His family made sacrifices and paid for his studies. “They took out a series of loans and at the end my mother had to pay back a lot of money. I also had to get a job to assist her,” he says.

Erasmus’ initial passion to become a zoologist was replaced by a new one, when he met a group of friends who were studying media at Mandela University. He became hooked on to this field, helping them with their activities.

“We used to work with small advertising companies or private clients and create adverts in terms of social media posts. And we would host small events, getting the word out to people. I really fell in love with that process. So in my third year of doing environmental sciences, I had this change of heart,” he says. It led to a slight wobble with his studies, resulting in an additional year at university, but “I still love the environment” he says and is proud he finished the degree.

After two years of working, he was determined to study media formally, but there was no way his family could afford to fund yet another degree. But Erasmus was determined to go ahead. “I just made the decision: I am going back to school. I will make a plan. I threw myself in the deep end and hoped for the best.”

He buckled down and studied as if his life depended on it. In his spare time he scoured ZAbursaries.com, applying for bursary after bursary, with no luck.

What helped him was that he started his BA Media, Communication, and Culture studies, during Covid.  This meant that classes were online he could live at home in Matatiele, so his only university costs were the fees. He was also contracted as a project officer to the LIMA Rural Development Foundation in the area, to help rural communities who do not have access to municipal water.

By the time second year started, “things started becoming a bit fuzzy because my savings fund was running low and it looked like I wouldn't be able to finish my studies. That’s when I got the bursary.

“Our university has email communication, including available bursaries.I came across one for the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA).

“I applied, and got it, and they funded me from my second year right through to my honours year, based on my academic performance.”

Erasmus  is one of 47 recipients of a MDDA bursary at Mandela University, said Learning and Teaching administrator Nkululeko Mkosana. In 2021 MDDA established an Economic Development Fund for deserving black students. Expiring at the end of this year, the fund was for fulltime students from second year to honours, focusing on media, advertising and graphic design. 

According to Erasmus, the biggest impact of the bursary is how it helped open doors for him.. “Being awarded the bursary, I was able to continue with my studies and, last year, as I submitted my last research paper, I received a job opportunity. And not because I applied for it, because I developed a very strong relationship with my lecturers and contacts in the institution, who knew my work (he was an assistant lecturer last year).  So it was through word of mouth, by referral.” He is now contracted to the Faculty of Health Sciences as a Digital Designer and Marketing Assistant.

“The bursary provided the opportunity for me to grow as an individual and become established as a working individual. It gave me the chance to prove that I am able to accomplishing something, and I feel competent to enter the corporate world, contributing with valuable input.”

Erasmus is not immune to hard work, besides his academic successes include graduating in the top 15% of his class qualifying him as a member of the International Golden Key International Honour Society.He has had so many jobs since matriculating at the King Edward High School in Matatiele,  looking at the experience section of his LinkedIn profile, it’s hard to believe he’s actually fitted in most of these positions in between his studies.

He bubbles with enthusiasm for his job at Nelson Mandela University. “It's a lot of work but I prefer it that way, because I'm trying to gather as many skills as possible. It's been great.” 

The best part of his  job is not just the chance to learn about marketing with the aim of starting his own media company, one day. Or the chance to continue his studies with a master’s degree. It is being able to make his family proud and being able to help them.