MY STORY: ‘I turned failure into success’

FAILING matric might be a crushing blow as it might derail great future plans – but thousands of people over the years have overcome that ‘failure’ and gone on to lead hugely successful lives.

Medical doctor Sbusiso (42) from the rural heart of Gingindlovu is an example that perseverance can turn disappointment into victory.

When this respected doctor was in high school he failed matric three times, but never gave up on the dream of being the first in his family to attend university.

Even though he was faced with laughs and insults from all sides, every year he would start afresh and work towards achieving great matric results.

He focused all his energy into making his dream a reality.

‘It took me three years to understand what matric examinations are all about. After failing the first time, I went back to school and tried over and over again,’ he said.

‘I was never stupid or a slow learner; I just didn’t know how to tackle examinations.

‘Matric is very difficult and you have to have a plan to execute it. Even the brightest pupils have failed their matric, not because they didn’t know the answers.

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‘Growing up in the rural heart of Gingindlovu, I struggled with understanding English, which made it difficult for me to understand any subject or exam questions,’ said Sbusiso.

‘It’s only years later when I realised my background played a huge role in failing my exams the first three times. I could barely communicate in an English language as my teachers used to teach us everything in IsiZulu,’

‘When you have a national question paper in front of you, it’s a total different ball game than just answering questions from your teacher, who you have had a relationship with for years – it’s tough,’

According to Sbusiso, once he identified the language as a barrier, everything else fell into place.

‘I started by focusing my energy into understanding the language, read previous question papers and made sure I understood every word. Once I mastered the English language, I turned what many called ‘bad luck’ into great success,’ he said.

During his fourth examination, Dr Sbusiso passed all his seven subjects with distinctions and surprised many.

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Not only did he pass with flying colours but he was accepted to study medicine at the former Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA).

Seven years later he became a qualified doctor and recently opened his own practice in eMandeni.

‘Success is not necessarily defined by the first-time pass. Failure is another phase of success – of course that thought will only come when you go through a squeeze point like it did to me, but God wanted to achieve something through me and his plan included me failing matric.

‘It doesn’t mean you are stupid or have no future. This might mean there is something which you need to master first before your day, and trust me; the day for success will come even if you fail three times. God made us all smart, but sometimes we don’t believe in ourselves and our backgrounds play a huge role in derailing our success.

‘It’s not the end of the world if you have bad marks. It’s what you choose to do now that will determine your future. And believe me, there is a future. Don’t get caught up in what other people think,’ said Dr Sbusiso.

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