Victim of sexual assault and abuse, passes matric with flying colours
- Trazeen Mbidlana was awarded the special ministerial award for 2018
- Although she was molested and raped in Grades 11 and 12, she overcame the odds to ace her matric exams
- Mbidlana was also named Sportswoman of the Year at Hoërskool Grabouw
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Trazeen Mbidlana is the very embodiment of persevering against the odds.
Like many South African children, she’s had to navigate poverty while pursuing her studies.
However, her life at Windermere Farm in Grabouw got considerably tougher after Grade 8 when her father passed away.
She regarded him as her superhero and his death understandably hit her hard.
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Unfortunately for Mbidlana, those were merely the beginning of her woes as she was subsequently molested in Grade 11 and raped in Grade 12.
IOL News reported that Mbidlana wasn’t able to rely on her mother’s support either and was soon hospitalised as she battled depression.
She revealed, “My mother wasn’t always there for me but all these things pushed me to actually better myself and keep pushing to reach my goal.”
Briefly.co.za understands that Mbidlana focused on her studies and excelled at sport.
Her natural talent and hard work saw her qualify for the Overberg netball team and named Hoërskool Grabouw’s Sportswoman of the Year.
Last Thursday, her hard work and will to succeed was recognised as she was awarded the special ministerial award for 2018.
The award was presented to her by the Western Cape Education MEC at the Western Cape National Senior Certificate Awards Ceremony.
Mbidlana heaped praise on her teacher for encouraging her and offering her a place to sleep when times were tough at home.
She confirmed that she intends to study business management even though she lacks the funds at this stage.
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Source: Briefly News