Stellenbosch University
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Anita pushes boundaries
Author: Pia Nänny
Published: 17/03/2017

Her study years at Stellenbosch University (SU) – which culminated in her graduation on Friday when she received the degree BCom (Management Accounting) – proved to Anita Engelbrecht that there is no challenge she can't successfully overcome.

"It has given me a much clearer idea of what I CAN do," says Anita, who suffers from spastic diplegia and who has been in a wheelchair all her life. She was born prematurely and experienced an oxygen shortage shortly after her birth. The part of her brain that controls the development of motor functions was affected.

But she is not a prisoner of her wheelchair. She likes to push boundaries because magic happens when you move out of your comfort zone, she believes.

After matriculating from Bellville High School with five distinctions, Anita arrived at SU's Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences to study Accounting in 2013. After her first meeting with representatives of the faculty she knew she was in the right place.

"It was clear to me from the start that my success on all levels was very important to them," she explains. "There was never a problem too big to handle."

However, this doesn't mean that there were no challenges. Anita needed the help of a scribe during exams because, as she explains, "her writing speed is that of a snail". To make things even more difficult she can only see out of one eye at a time. And her brain decides which one without her being able to control it. This makes it very difficult to read and she doesn't have time to review study material two or three times. She has to take it all in during the first (and only) time.

At the end of her first year she met with her lecturer who asked her whether she really wanted to be a chartered accountant. This would mean that she would have to go to clients without knowing if the environment is wheelchair-friendly. With the bigger picture in mind they decided together that she would change her course to BCom Management Accounting. It was the right decision for her.

 "Sometimes I have to decide between what I want to do versus what is practically possible. I don't regard it as a failure that I had to change my course. If I don't try things I will always wonder about them," she said in an earlier interview.

"Stellenbosch not only gave me the opportunity to be successful in my studies, but also to grow holistically as human-being."

She compares the faculty, exam office, her friends and support network, and her faith to the stakes one plants next to a vine to help it grow.

"The journey, the adventures, the growth on all levels – these elements are more important than the destination," she believes.

As a resident of Russel Botman House, she enjoyed being able to participate in student activities such as studying in the library or enjoying time on the mountain road above Coetzenburg with friends. 

"My study years exceeded all my expectations," she says. "But sometimes good things come to an end so that new journeys can begin."

  • Anita is currently busy with her honours degree through UNISA. She and Hilton Murray, a fellow member of the Bellville Athletics Club who pushes her in a custom-designed buggy, plan to take part in the Comrades for the second time this year.