THEY ’RE twins so that means they’re there for each other no matter what – and the struggles and challenges these two have endured have only served to strengthen the bond that binds them together.
Yusuf and Yaqoob Arrison made news headlines a few years ago after they survived a tragic family shooting.
As Yusuf lay unconscious with a bullet in his head, Yaqoob was in the bed next to his, playing dead to stop their suicidal mother from killing him.
He was later able to escape the house, carrying his sibling to safety on his back.
Now just two years down the line the 17-year-olds are in the news again – this time, it’s because of the amazing support Yaqoob offered his brother to help him succeed in his final matric exams.
As a result of the shooting, Yusuf was left with impaired vision and has difficulty reading.
But Yaqoob was determined this handicap wasn’t going to prevent his brother from getting the marks he needed to go to university. So he spent hours each day, patiently reading to Yusuf and helping him study.
His brotherly devotion paid off. When the results were announced in January, both boys discovered they’d achieved university passes.
And that’s not all – at the annual national matric award ceremony, the plucky twins from Bernadino Heights in Cape Town were honoured with special awards for the resilience they’d displayed in the face of hardship.
“It was really unexpected,” Yusuf tells us as he chats to us at their home. “It felt really nice to be recognised for our efforts. It meant a lot.”
There were many who didn’t expect him and his brother to succeed, he says – so proving everyone wrong makes the award even sweeter.
THE brothers’ lives changed forever one tragic Saturday morning in January 2017.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 6 February 2020 من Drum English.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 6 February 2020 من Drum English.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Homegrown Heroes
Drum speaks to two volunteers in the Covid-19 vaccine trial and the professor heading the team in Africa
The Big Clean Up
Whenever a Covid-19 case is confirmed at a shop, they call in the deep-cleaners. We find out exactly how they disinfect stores and supermarkets
I'm Back & Better!
Babes Wodumo shares what she’s been up to in lockdown – and there’s some new music on the horizon
Not An Easy Ride
Taxi commuters and industry players tell DRUM what’s driving them to defy lockdown rules
Mam' Mary Bows Out
Iconic actress Mary Twala is fondly remembered by friends and family for her humour and talent
‘They Lived For Each Other'
This Cape Town teen’s parents died from Covid-19 on the same day. Now she’s alone and battling the virus too
Stranger Than Fiction
For actor Mangaliso Ngema and his daughter Khosi Ngema, her role in Blood & Water was like watching their family’s real-life story unfold
I Was Raped By A Pastor
His accusations against a well-known man of the cloth turned an Eastern Cape man’s life into turmoil but now more victims have spoken out
My Fight With Life And Death
More Covid-19 patients, too few beds and staff, constant sanitising and personal fears – a Western Cape doctor shares her experience
I AM ENOUGH
Ten years after being set alight, Thembi Maphanga is living life to the fullest
