For Taswell Mabutha, a lifelong dream was realised when he heard the news that he had been accepted to study at Stellenbosch University (SU). Diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of eight, he never imagined being able to study at a university someday.

“I never thought I would ever get to this point where I would have a student card that said Stellenbosch,” says Mabutha, who graduated with a BEdHons in Education Development and Democracy at SU’s December 2025 graduation series.

His journey to this moment spans several detours. After working as a chef in the Kruger National Park, an epiphany struck while teaching tourists to cook. “I’m teaching all these people how to cook. Why not apply to be a teacher and teach kids?” he recalls asking himself.

He enrolled at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) for a qualification in hospitality management, and what should have taken three years stretched to five as CPUT’s Granger Bay campus learnt to accommodate his needs.

“We had to figure it out together,” he says. “I had to basically struggle through coping, coping, until I figured out what would work for me.”

Thereafter, Mabutha applied to SU to do his honours, where his disability was managed using innovative technology.

“The Disability Unit played a huge role in helping me settle in, and I’ll always be grateful for their support. They went out of their way to ensure I received the software I needed to succeed.”

Receiving a laptop and having access to reading and writing software to help with dyslexia, coupled with supportive lecturers, transformed Mabutha’s academic life.

Now teaching at a School of Skills, he says  working in a special needs environment as a teacher with a learning difference has been a true blessing. His journey allows him to stand before his learners and tell them with confidence: “It doesn’t matter how long it takes or how old you’ll be when you finish. Your time will come.”

As someone who learnt to embrace his ability, he now wants to help children avoid the many detours he had to take.

“It took me until the age of 37 to complete my honours, and I’m proud of every step it took to get here. I’ve caught the ‘study bug’ and I plan to continue all the way to my PhD.”