'Completing my doctoral degree is equivalent to the Olympic Games' — Hendri Herbst

Blind South African Paralympic swimmer and medal winner Hendri Herbst is the perfect embodiment of the saying “where there is a will, there is a way”. Not only has he excelled in sport, this week he also reached the pinnacle of academic success when he obtained his doctoral degree (LLD) in mercantile law at Stellenbosch University. 

Hailing from Letsitele near Tzaneen in Limpopo, Herbst is the first blind student at the university to be awarded an LLD, and receive a joint doctorate from the law faculty and Hasselt University in Belgium.

Reflecting on his latest accomplishment, Herbst said he is proud but also relieved to have crossed the finish line.

“A PhD is a long road and, to a large extent, an extremely lonely journey,” he said. 

“I had to overcome a few obstacles, especially during the pandemic when it was difficult to access literature and prescribed sources. Sometimes I had to work through as many as 20 books just to write one paragraph. I had to listen to each book to decide whether I could use it or not.”

To access sources, Herbst used a text-to-speech computer screen reader programme and software that converts image PDFs into readable text. He was able to discuss his work with his supervisors through online meetings, e-mails and WhatsApp messages.

His supervisors, Dr Izelle du Plessis from Stellenbosh University and Prof Dr Niels Appermont from Hasselt University, also provided feedback via voice notes. 

Asked how a doctorate compares to his sporting achievements, Herbst said his sporting career has been a lifetime of dedication. “A PhD is a long, winding road until the end when the pressure is released. 

“Both required absolute sacrifice, but in very different ways. I was rewarded more in the short term with my swimming. I had to wait four years to achieve success with a PhD. I would say completing my LLD was equivalent to the Olympic Games!” 

For his doctorate, Herbst, who is also a tax specialist, evaluated South Africa’s income tax regime for trusts by comparing the South African position with that of the UK and Belgium, with the aim of making it more investor-friendly. He chose this topic because it combined two aspects of law he found interesting — the law of trusts and tax law. 

“South Africa is currently facing a multitude of economic, political and social challenges. By adopting the appropriate tax policies, the tax system can be leveraged to unlock the country’s potential through investment, thereby aiding resolving its challenges.”

When things got tough, Herbst was able to draw on his experiences as a world-class swimmer. 

“There definitely were some lessons from my days as a swimmer that I could use during my doctoral studies. I learnt that just as in sport, perseverance, dedication and sacrifice also yield results in academia.” 

Herbst’s perseverance also impressed Du Plessis. 

“Our entire faculty and I are very proud of Hendri’s exceptional performance. He showed so much perseverance to achieve this degree, not only because he is blind but also because he had to work on his LLD through the difficult Covid-19 period. 

“Hendri is a remarkable and very intelligent person with the ability to process and remember large amounts of information. He is a very bright lawyer who can identify and research problems thoroughly and come up with solutions.” 

Echoing Du Plessis’ sentiments, Appermont described him as a stellar legal scholar who “wrote his dissertation under difficult circumstances but was able to overcome them and defend his thesis in a brilliant manner”. 

“As one of his supervisors, I never had the feeling that either Izelle or I were asked to ‘hold the pen’. Hendri is a very independent researcher, for whom we primarily acted as a sounding board. In a certain way, Hendri was his own supervisor.” 

In addition to receiving an LLD, Paralympic and World Championship medal winner Herbst also received the Rector’s Award for outstanding sports achievement. 

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