Being raised in the rural village of Tshidongololwe in Thengwe did not stop Thiathu Ishmael Ravhura from dreaming big. He realised early in life that education is the key to unlocking opportunities, but it took him several decades to finally earn his doctorate.

The 63-year-old Ravhura proudly received his PhD in philosophy from the University of Venda (Univen) on Friday, 7 September. The topic of his research was "Enhancing Public Participation in Integrated Development Planning in a South African Rural-Based Local Municipality," supervised by Professor J. Francis. His study, conducted at the Thulamela Local Municipality, focused on how the distance from service centres affects the level of public participation.

Ravhura was born in Alexandra Township (previously known as Dark City), but his parents relocated to Tshidongololwe village in Thengwe, where he completed his schooling at Dimani Agricultural High School. He went on to earn a teacher's diploma (1988), a higher diploma in education (1995), and a B-Tech diploma (1999). In 2010, he completed his master’s degree, and in 2013, he was awarded a PhD in education. He studied at institutions such as the University of Johannesburg and Unisa.

In 2014, he was appointed by the Minister of Higher Education to serve as a council member of Vhembe TVET College for a four-year term. From 2019 to 2023, he served as chairperson of the college. Ravhura also served as spokesperson for the Mutale Local Municipality and currently works in the office of the Thulamela mayor.

He has encouraged both young and older individuals to pursue knowledge. “Education has no age limit. One must work hard to climb the educational ladder. In our day, it was difficult because, without parents with enough funds, you couldn't do much. But now, learning is much easier with bursary schemes and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS),” said Dr Ravhura.