No obstacle too great for mother, 52
DESPITE the challenges of an impoverished childhood, raising three children and supporting a husband battling cancer, Zenobia Olivier, 52, has finally realised her life-long dream of studying further.
“I always had a dream of studying, to become a teacher, but my dad had a brain injury due to a motorbike accident and my mom became the breadwinner, so they could not afford to send me to university,” Olivier said.
She has three sons – Waldo, 30, and twins Jacques and Heinrich, 25.
The twins were born prematurely at 27 weeks and suffered brain injuries. They are both quadriplegic with cerebral palsy and need 24-hour care.
“I always had to work to help support my family and started working in an accounting department of a big insurance company.
“In 2002, I enrolled, [but] due to the twins’ ill health, I had to stop my studies. When the boys were 20, 10 years after I enrolled, I said it was now or never, and resumed my studies”.
She studied towards an internal audit diploma part-time, aiming to finish before she was 50.
However, in 2014, Olivier’s husband was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer. Despite endless chemo sessions and a stem cell transplant, the cancer returned.
Olivier was forced to slow down her studies but will graduate with a national diploma in internal auditing tomorrow.
Her next step is to do her SAIPA board exams, to register as a professional accountant.
“Never give up on your dreams, don’t just aim for a pass, aim for the stars, work hard and you will receive the rewards,” she said.