The EThekwini Municipality in Durban, yesterday, acknowledged Hafiz Mohamed Yusuf Kazi from the Orient Muslim School for getting the third highest matric pass in the EThekwini regions across all different categories. It comes after the KwaZulu-Natal premier Dr Zweli Mkhize acknowledged that Mohammed achieved the first place amongst independent school in the KZN region. Radio Islam had the opportunity to speak to Mohammed regarding his academic performance.

With a 96 percent pass rate for his final year in school, Mohammed achieved a ‘full house’ of 7 distinctions, in English Afrikaans, Maths, Life Orientation, Physical Science, Life Sciences and Accounting, where he achieved his highest mark. He told Radio Islam that in early January, he was called to the ICC center in Durban where the premier Dr Zweli Mkhize and the KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Senzo Mchunu paid tribute to him for outstanding results. He revealed that consistency and hard work, coupled with diligent use of time led to this results. Mohammed added that he took advantage of the fact that each day there are certain time periods where your brain is most active, and hence he tried to maximize his time during those periods when he was best able to understand and absorb the work. He said that it is not necessary hard work, but rather making the most of certain periods of the day when you are most active, mentally. Mohammed pointed out that prioritizing his time also benefitted him, citing an example of how he used his time after fijr, paying special attention to those subjects that he needed to work on. He further explained that when he comes back from school and he was tired, he would take a rest for about half an hour, and when he’s ‘rebooted’, again he prioritizes his time in the same fashion.

Mohammed plans to further his studies in medicine at the Nelson R Mandela School of medicine in Durban. Perhaps the most influential statement this youngster from KwaZulu-Natal imparted to would be high achievers, was the wisdom that that hard work and consistency alone will not ensure success, but instead, success lies in the hands of ALLAH. Coupled with the hard work and the dua to ALLAH, whether for school or university, in life and the hereafter, it is still the ultimate route to success.