Dr Vadival Govender, an anesthesiologist and principal specialist at 2 Military Hospital in Cape Town.
Despite growing up in poverty and being orphaned at a young age, Dr Vadival Govender did not let his circumstances deter him from achieving remarkable academic success, including being one of South Africa's top matriculants 50 years ago.
The 69-year-old anesthesiologist and principal specialist at 2 Military Hospital in Cape Town matriculated from Avoca High School in 1976.
He was the first pupil in the school’s history to be placed among the country’s top 10 matriculants under the then-Department of Indian Affairs.
Govender was also the only pupil in South Africa to achieve an A-symbol in English, for which he received the 1820 Settlers National Monument Foundation Prize for the highest mark across the four then-segregated education departments.
