There can be few geoscientists with a more remarkable story to tell than Musa Manzi. From an impoverished village in South Africa to associate professor in seismology at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg has been an extraordinary journey and now one of his ambitions is to inspire others.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born and raised in Ndwedwe, one of the poor rural villages in South Africa. I had a tough early childhood. My father died when I was two years old, leaving my mother to raise me and my five siblings from her low income as a domestic worker. Though my mother did not have an opportunity to go to school she worked hard to instil discipline and the importance of education in my life. So she was my greatest strength and true inspiration.
What was school like?
I used to hate school because getting to school every morning was a daunting task as I used to walk more than 8 km, and usually on an empty stomach. I would struggle to focus in a class because I was hungry and tired. My mother couldn’t afford to buy me a proper school uniform, so I was bullied a lot because of how I looked. As a result I dropped out of school numerous times. My teachers encouraged me to come back because I was good at maths.
What persuaded you to keep on studying and matriculate?
My mother used to tell me that the pathway out of poverty was through education. So, when my siblings dropped out of school, her words motivated me to not give up. When I was in high school a lady from a local church offered to look after me and pay for my studies through to Matric. Her assistance blew me away and I began to love school, teaching my classmates maths and physics as we had no teachers for these subjects. In matric, I received outstanding results, including 100% for maths and 98% for physics
Your passage at university was not easy, was it?
After passing Matric I realized that I had not applied to study at the university, so my mother gave me her last money to pay for the bus to go to Wits University in Johannesburg to submit a late application for the Bachelor’s degree in maths and physics. In my undergraduate years I struggled financially with no place to stay, so I slept at the computer labs and libraries.
How did a fateful intervention make things even more of a struggle?
A week before my final undergraduate exams, my mom and sister died within a day of each other, leaving my five and six year old nieces behind. With no one to care for them, I brought my sister’s two young daughters to Johannesburg to live with me at the university classrooms.
You finally got back on track. How did that happen?
One day, a classmate’s parents invited my nieces and me to stay with them at their home, and they became our parents. This helped me to fully focus on my studies. In 2007 I graduated with BSc degree in maths and physics; and in 2008 I graduated with BSc honours degree in Geophysics. In 2013 I graduated with PhD in Geophysics at Wits, specializing in reflection seismology for hard rock mineral exploration.
What are your responsibilities at Wits and the focus of your studies?
I am an associate professor in seismology at Wits, a director of the Wits Seismic Research Centre, and a visiting scholar at Uppsala University in Sweden. I am co-supervising more than 30 postgraduate students in the field of seismology. My current research is concerned with the development of innovative seismic technologies for mineral exploration.
How are you involved in encouraging a new generation of geoscientists?
I believe that I am who I am today because certain individuals took an interest in my life and invested in it. So, my dream is to see every young person in Africa having the same opportunities that helped me succeed. To achieve this, I volunteer in a number of organizations and schools in South Africa to teach science and maths, and to mentor and inspire the next generation of geoscientists. I have also co-founded Dr Musa Manzi Foundation and Wits Mathematics Competition with an objective to encourage geoscience education in Africa.
