RAISING THE BAR

A PROUD Manenberg mother has shared her story of perseverance after being admitted as an attorney of the Western Cape High Court, which took her 14 years to achieve.

“From Manenberg and proud of it,” are the words of mother of three, Gillian van der Westhuizen, who stood proudly donned in her attorney’s gown on the steps in front of her Manenberg flat.

Cape Argus caught up with van der Westhuizen after a post she shared on social media in a bid to inspire others reached 4.9k likes and 3.5k shares.

“On 7 November, I had the privilege of being admitted as an attorney of the High Court,” she said. Van der Westhuizen shared how she faced pregnancy, motherhood, tragedy, and many other challenges but did not give up.

She said at the age of 19 she was accepted to study law at university and was forced to leave a week after starting her studies as her parents could not afford it.

A few months after that she found out she was pregnant with her first daughter and got married at age 23 and worked as a stockroom supervisor and had her son at age 26, but her dream of studying law never faded.

At 28, while being a mother of two, she decided it was time to enroll part-time at UNISA while working.

She explained: “I studied before work, did assignments after work, used my annual leave to write exams, and still managed to be a wife and mother."

She then began a small baking business and by 2017 it flourished as a full-time commitment and continued to study.

Then COVID-19 hit, and she had failed her final module three times before passing with a distinction and achieving her degree and had to do her practical legal training facing financial strain but pushed through.

Then at age 38, she found out she was pregnant again and did not give up.

Fourteen years later, she stands proud: “In July this year, I completed my articles. I passed all four board exams. I met every requirement.

"Looking back, I see the hand of God in every part of my journey. People who helped me, encouraged me, paid fees, bought textbooks, and prayed with me. I failed many times.

"To every coloured child reading this, you can do anything you put your mind to. Don’t let anyone, not even yourself, tell you that you can’t."

She is also working on achieving her next level: “I want to become a conveyancer. I've already started studying for next year's exam."

Her husband, Amien, said he was proud of her: “I saw how hard you studied, worked, baked, then still wrote an exam afterwards and always thought, how do you do it? I never saw you cry or give up.”