The story of Dr Elfas Torerai is a classic case of focus, determination, persistence and success personified. He started off as a rookie journalist, plying his trade in community newspapers. Before long, he joined the mainstream media where he rose to become the provincial correspondent of the now defunct The New Age/AfroVoice.

In between the tight deadlines, he pursued an LLB degree at Unisa, and graduated in 2018.

In 2019, he enrolled for his LLM degree at the North-West University (NWU) on a full-time basis and completed it that same year – sure proof of his tenacity and discipline.

 Dr Torerai then enrolled for his LLD degree in May 2020. At the end of 2021, he submitted his thesis and on 29 July 2022, the degree was conferred on him.

We caught up with him to find out more about his path from the newsroom to a doctorate in law.

“The aim has always been to be a lawyer and I’m happy that I have achieved my target in record time. When I enrolled for my LLB degree in the winter of 2012, I gave myself 10 years to complete everything, and getting capped for my LLD in July 2022 iced the proverbial cake,” he says.

However, this does not mean that the road has been easy.

“At one point, I thought my target was out the window. I mixed up the examination time for one paper and that delayed my graduation by a year. That was perhaps one of the biggest setbacks I faced. When I met my LLM supervisor who went on to become my promoter and mentor, Prof Howard Chitimira, the time I had lost was recovered. He pushed me to finish my LLM in a single year and – better still – my LLD in two years!”

Asking how he managed to balance his studies and a tight work schedule in the newsroom, Elfas says commitment was the key.

“There is no magic wand to success. It takes hard work and commitment. I did not have study leave, and therefore had to manage myself in such a way that I met work deadlines while submitting assignments and writing examinations for all 40 LLB courses. At times I simply switched my phone off, wrote an exam, and then dashed to the office to push stories,” he explains.

He says modules that required portfolio examinations were also a big challenge. “Usually these examinations require three days of preparation, and most often they would be released on a Thursday for submission on a Sunday. I’m a Seventh-day Adventist and I do not work on the Sabbath, which is Saturdays. I would therefore had to work double on Fridays and finish the work on Sundays.”

Elfas points out that when he started studying, there were several friends that he studied with which made it easier, especially during examination times. Unfortunately, many started falling behind and the journey became a lonely one as time went by.

 Covid-19 as catalyst

For many people, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the normal course of events and slowed down their studies, but in Elfas’ case, it became a catalyst for his studies.

“During the first hard lockdown, one could not access the library, which I made my home for my LLM studies. I had to adapt very fast, and I quickly turned my laptop into my library.

“Due to Covid-19 my oral examination was delayed until March 2021. Fortunately, my topic was accepted as is, and the work I had invested in developing chapters helped me to meet the submission deadline at the end of the year.”

The road ahead

Elfas believes there are still more heights to scale.

“One has to publish articles, book chapters and even books. In this regard, I look forward to continue under the mentorship of Prof Chitimira, to become an established academic and hopefully go on to make my mark in academia, and in the practice and policymaking realms.”

Whichever angle you look at it, Dr Torerai’s story is inspiring for young and old. He has shown that it is possible to balance work, family and studies and still smash records – not once, but twice.

Dr Elfas Torerai and his promoter, Prof Howard Chitimira, during his PhD graduation ceremony on the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus.