Matodzi Rechel Rabulanyana is one woman who believes that to get everything in life one has to get up and work towards achieving it. This comprises hard work, dedication and passion.
Matodzi, who was raised by one parent together with her three siblings, had no funds to pursue her studies at varsity but she was lucky enough to secure a NSFAS grant which enabled her to finish her BA Criminal Justice degree at the University of Venda.
“I was so overjoyed when I received the good news that I had been accepted to study but I had no money to settle any study fees because my mother was unemployed at the time. I applied for NSFAS and the application was successful.”
Matodzi’s joy and enthusiasm was great when she got a notification informing her that her study fund application had been approved. The fact that she had received a study grant had spurred her on to pull up her socks.
“I graduated in 2009. Somehow, I could not instantly get a job with that degree. In 2011 I then found work as a receptionist at a medical institution. Well, that was a different area from what I had studied but I accepted the fact that I had to start somewhere if I needed to get somewhere in life.”
She had a desire to study further and this dream was initially put on the right track when she got back to do an LLB with the University of Venda.
“I graduated in 2016 and started to look for articles of clerkship but could not find any space to do them. That was a setback, but I didn’t let myself hide in a corner and worry, for I had the willpower to establish myself in society as a functional social being.”
With two degrees under her belt, she found herself working as a call centre consultant for some time before she could get offered to do articles of clerkship at Legal Aid South Africa in 2017.
“Before I could even begin with that contract my husband whom I have two kids with passed away from a motor vehicle accident,” she says. “I was so devastated to an extent that the mourning phase nearly derailed me. But then, at the end of the day, one has got to heal.”
Matodzi’s contract with Legal Aid South Africa ended in 2019. She then found a job at Matshivhelm Attorneys in the same year. She worked harder, and her sight couldn’t be easily ignored in the criminal courts as she provided strong arguments during court cases.
“As of 2020, I opened my law firm under the name Rabulanyana MR Attorneys,” she says. “The reason why I am sharing this story is because I want other people to know that it is possible to make it in life regardless of challenges you meet along the way. I am a single mother and fighting for a better life for my kids.”
***
Read about another single mother who found a passion for the law here
Tell us: What goal do you want to achieve in the next five years?
