Masakhe 02_DIGITAL PAPERTURN - Flipbook - Page 67
LEGENDARY STUDENTS
THE
MAHLANGU
TWINS
TEXT ZADA HANMER IMAGES SUPPLIED
EDITORS NOTE: The Mahlangu twins having been a
delightful fixture of the department for the past four years,
and have demonstated admirable presence and service, to
the department and the broader student community.
F
or identical twins, Khaya
and Khali, life as they
know it has always felt
normal. They have gotten
used to being mistaken
for one another, but the
fact that they are identical twins has
never been at the front of their minds.
Instead, they’ve spent their university
careers focusing on what makes
each of them happy as individuals.
Studying at UCT’s Construction,
Economics and Management
Department was not their first option.
After applying to several universities,
each with a different career path in
mind, UCT ended up being the only
university where both Khaya and Khali
got accepted for the same degree
program. This strange twist of fate
would end up being far better than
either of them initially expected,
and the fact that they happen to like
the same things is more of a happy
accident.
“Many people think of us as one
person, said Khaya, “instead of
thinking about us as separate people.”
This is one of the things that the
twins have noticed about people’s
perceptions of them, but they don’t
let it bring them down. While at
school and at UCT, both Khaya and
Khali have cultivated their own
friendships, but they always find their
way back to one another. In their free
time, the twins enjoy playing netball,
hiking up Lion’s Head, and walking in
Newlands Forest.
Without much prior knowledge
about construction or property,
both twins ended up enjoying
ISSUE 2
65
DECEMBER 2 025
