An Unlikely Journey by Dr Vasuthavan Gopaul Govender

Vasuthavan Gopaul Govender was born in Mayville, Durban during the height of apartheid. The Group Areas Act forced his family to move to Montford, Chatsworth in 1967. Thus, other than the first 18 months, he did all his school in a number of primary and high schools in Chatsworth. Life in Chatsworth was not easy for his and other families.

His father was a disciplinarian and the breadwinner, and his mother was the ultimate caregiver who would eventually be instrumental, with others, in establishing a Womens group in Montford, and eventually a Chatsworth Umbrella body for Women. From an early age, Vasuthavan realised that by focussing on his education, he would be able to create a better life for himself and those associated with him. However, for an ordinary working-class family, tertiary education would be a dream unless he was able to secure a bursary for his studies. During apartheid, bursaries were virtually non-existent unless you took up teaching as a career. He was an excellent Mathematics pupil in both primary and high school. He reasoned at that time, Why not become a Mathematics teacher?