Girl-Bossing Too Close to the Sun: Owethu Novuka on Social Media and Being the Only Woman Left in Her STEM Degree
By Leago Mahlangu
You might know Owethu Novuka as your favorite niche-internet micro-celebrity. Owethu, the people’s princess, is currently in her final year of a Computer Science degree at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She is also the only woman left in her degree. I think we can all agree that she girl-bossed a little too close to the sun.
Forget the Olympics and the UEFA—I think what the people truly want is to see Owethu graduate. As weird and parasocial as it might be, many of us see Novuka as a friend after watching her TikToks over the years. We have seen her go through university from the very beginning up until now, nearing the end. What's so special about Novuka’s internet presence is how her audience has essentially grown up with her into young adulthood.
“It makes me wanna cry every single time,” said Novuka when we spoke about how she documented her university experience on TikTok. “I still see comments from the videos I posted in first year and I just look at those videos and think, ‘Oh my God!’ It's been 3 years and now I’m in the last 2 months of my degree.”
“I’m doing it for us.”
After being encouraged by her host family to study in Stellenbosch, Nouvka was not even planning on studying at UCT, but after her friend decided to come to UCT instead of going abroad, she changed her mind, and the rest is history. Novuka knew that she was going to study Computer Sciences after googling ‘what degree pays the most’. Although she chose her degree based off the monetary factors, her heart has always been in STEM. “In high school, maths and physics were, I’d say, my favourite subjects, so I always wanted to go the STEM route.”
It is obviously not easy being in a degree like Computer Science, and being the only woman left tells us about the strength of Novuka's work ethic and self-discipline. However, this was not always true—she started her degree during COVID and, like all of us, did not have much of a routine. “This year I think there has been a shift in my work ethic,” she says, being in the final stretch of her degree. “There's no chilling anymore.”
Although she has made it to this milestone, there were times where she thought she was going to leave her degree like many of her friends and people around her, particularly during her second year. “We were all like, ‘Okay, we are jumping ship,’ and I was very much on that bandwagon,” she recalled. “I contacted my student advisor and asked her what the exit plan was.” She ended up staying in her degree that now consists of twelve other people. While writing a test, Novuka realised that she is the only woman left in her year of the programme. Novuka says that more than anything she feels proud of herself and feels like she can represent women. “I’m doing it for us,” she adds.
Owethu is a hard worker, but also naturally smart and witty. We can see this from the platform she has built on TikTok. With over one hundred thousand followers on the app, many people follow her for her personality and have watched her go through university just like any other student. Whether it be struggling to get through first year Stats or getting indigestion from DH food, we all root for her, just like we root for our friends in real life. However, her reach extends beyond the student body. Uncle Waffles, a popular DJ, commented that she would take her shopping when she graduates. “That was insane, but paying for my fees would also be great,” Nouvka said jokingly. The recent NSFAS residence cap has caused many financial issues for the students of UCT, including Novuka. “It’s, like, literally the only thing in the way of me graduating, which is so devastating.”
“I think if social media felt like too much of job, I would not like it anymore.”
With Novuka planning on entering the work force straight out of university in Johannesburg, she is optimistic that she will pay off her fees. After she revealed that she will most likely be working a Computer Science job, I was curious to know if she ever considered pursuing a career in social media.
“I think if social media felt like too much of job, I would not like it anymore,” she said. “There would be too much pressure to post and keep engagement. I think if I did it full time, it would not be sustainable for me.” She appreciates having a presence where she can take a break, like being able to disable her Instagram account, where she feels some pressure to be active consistently. She also feels like her persona on TikTok and her persona on Instagram differ. On TikTok she can post more freely and be herself.
This chilled approach to social media is one of the reasons I feel so many people gravitate towards her. Nothing feels forced, and her kindness, relatability, and genuine aura shine through the screen. (She's lovely in real life too!)
Considering that most people see her as an internet best friend, I figured for the last part of the interview, it would be nice to ask her some questions we would ask our best friends.
L: What is your go to order from Engen after a night out, and your favourite sweet treat?
O: “A cheese griller always always always, and I love me a cupcake. There's this blue velvet cupcake from Andiccio—I will literally spend my last R40 on it.”
L: F*ck, marry, kill: first-year stats, the Claremont Jammie, or stairs at UCT?
O: “Kill first year stats, f*ck the Claremont Jammie, and marry the stairs.”
L: Would you rather redo first year, or date an EBE gent?
O: “Engineering is where the money’s at, so I'd rather do that.”