Decent Junior Mkhombo is currently the youngest doctor in the South African medical fraternity, according our source from the Mpumalang Department of Health.
The record breaking Doctor graduated from the University of Limpopo in South Africa in 2021 at Age 21, with stunning academic credentials.
Africa Express online caught up with young Dr. Decent Mkhombo in an exclusive interview and below are the excerpts.
Africa Express Online(AEO): Who is Decent Junior Mkhombo?
Decent Junior Mkhombo: I am a 21 year boy from Thulamahashe in the Mpumalanga province in South Africa. I am born to two poor teachers, Decent Mkhombo, my father and Betty Mkhombo, mother.
AEO: How many siblings do you have?
Decent Mkhombo: I have three siblings and I am the youngest among them.
AEO: Where did you start your Education?
Decent Mkhombo: I started my early stages education at Bambino crèche and then proceeded to Thulamahashe Lower Primary School. I continued my senior high education at Orhovelani High school Where I got admission into University of Limpopo to read medicine.
AEO: Were you by any means jumped from your class to another?
Decent Mkhombo: Yes, I was jumped from grade 4 to grade 5 while in lower primary, again in High school, I was promoted from grade 8 to grade 9. This means i jumped two classes.
AEO: Then you must be a brilliant student?
Decent Mkhombo: Hahaha, that is what my mates, tutors and people around me use to say.
AEO: What do you enjoy doing most in your spare time?
Decent Mkhombo : I like socializing, I though don’t have a lot of free time but when I do, I make it up to my friends. I also like mixed martial arts and hip-hop music.
AEO: What was your experience as a young student at the University of Limpopo?
Decent Mkhombo: Character development was one thing that had to happen, becoming a man under such high pressure situations from home was not easy.
AEO: Growing up as a young Decent Mkhombo, did you ever dream of becoming a doctor?
Decent Mkhombo: I didn’t specifically, I was always curious about a variety of professions but ultimately chose medicine in my matric year.
AEO: what motivated you to pursue medicine after High school looking how difficult things were for you and family?
Decent Mkhombo: My motivation was just to succeed in the task at hand, because I believe motivation is the desire to act in service of a particular goal.
AEO: what led to your high performance at the University of Limpopo?
Decent Mkhombo: I was dedicated to my studies and like I said earlier on, I was motivated to succeed in whatever thing that I do.
AEO: Did you receive any form of sponsorship or support from individuals, institutions or elsewhere?
Decent Mkhombo: Yes I did, I received funding from Department of Health in Limpopo. I am most grateful for the support they gave me throughout my education. I will urge them to continue to support the youth in that regards.
AEO: Do you have any advice for African youth?
Decent Mkhombo: I would like to tell them to have faith in their goals, research around them, as information is available in these days and age, and apply them to reaching their goals. I will urge them to focus on the bigger picture. As a man you need to be different from as you were a boy, it is no longer enough to chase fleeting thrills and do drugs trying to feel excited. Find pleasure in seeing your aspirations coming to life, and make sure that your efforts are something that the next generation can learn from.
AEO: Do you have anything to tell African governments who can raise more of you?
Decent Mkhombo: Yes,I want them to empower the youth such that they will have the desire to want to achieve more in home countries, and to create jobs so that they can have hope to sustain themselves and their families. African Governments should implement programs that aims at solving problems from the grassroots level to deal with the issue at its infancy.
AEO: Thank you so much for speaking to Africa Express online and congratulation on your graduation.
Decent Mkhombo: I am also grateful to Africa Express Online for the opportunity given to express myself and speak to the world.
