my views

It’s been a couple of months since I blogged. I’ve been a bit preoccupied. A few weeks ago I attended our company’s awards evening where we recognised the work of our staff volunteers. I was privileged to meet one of the guest speakers, Professor Shirley Zinn, who shared a brief synopsis of her story. She has a book Swimming Upstream, which I read cover to cover on the Saturday after we met. Shirley’s story is both mesmerising and heart-breaking. As the reader you are taken along on her journey which was not easy but her attitude and perseverance resulted in an inspirational tale of how hard work is rewarded abundantly. Here are some of the highlights from Shirley’s book that stood out for me: 1. Where you start out doesn’t have to determine where you end up. You are not a product of our circumstance. Shirley was born in Steenberg on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape. It is an area that is consumed with socio-economic conditions such as gangsterism, domestic violence, poverty,