Dr Praise Matemavi: Have a plan for your life, and work hard to achieve your goals

Her path to becoming a surgeon has not been the typical route, but her drive has led her to the top By Mbali Tyra Zimbabwean-born Abdominal Transplant Surgeon Praise Matemavi has challenged African teenage mothers “never to lose hope in life, but to work hard to realise their dreams”. With an unplanned pregnancy at the age of 18 that threatened to derail her dream of one day becoming a surgeon, Dr Matemavi never gave up. “It was devastating, I got pregnant when I was 18 out of wedlock and ended up getting married,” she told SuccessZim this week. “First of all, I thought I have committed this huge sin and God is never going to bless me. I didn’t know how I was going to ever fulfill my dream. It was sad because that was the one time I saw my dad cry. I got married because I thought that it was the best thing to do.” Being involved in an unplanned marriage, Matemavi ended up enduring physical, mental and emotional abuse. “I went through so much heartache and pain, and that’s what probably helped fuel my drive.