By Refilwe Mphirime
Success was inevitable for the hardworking Dr Gail Parker. Parker’s roots are in the Northern Cape; her father is from Gong-Gong while her mother is from Jacobsdal.
Her grandparents raised Parker in Ou Greenpoint until age four. After that, she joined the family in Cape Town, where her parents were working. She is the second born of three siblings, two boys and Gail is the only girl.
Parker, a mother to two university boys, grew up in the Cape Flats. To protect her children, her mother, a domestic worker, kept them focused on their books. Hence education was held in high esteem in the household. Gail’s older brother studied up to matric while the youngest is a Commissioner at CCMA.
“Education created opportunities for me. Looking back on my childhood, some of my peers dropped out of school at a young age. I think I am the only one who managed to continue with my studies,” mentioned Gail.
She obtained her BA degree from the University of Cape Town, thereafter studied towards a Diploma in Education.
At age 21, Parker returned to the Northern Cape by securing a teaching post in Douglas and became a South African Teacher’s Union (Sadtu) member. She worked her way up the ranks and became Branch Secretary. According to Gail, that’s where her political awareness started.
In 1991 Gail relocated to Kimberley, where she served in the Education Portfolio at Sadtu’s Provincial structure.
It was her parents desire to reclaim their forefather’s land that prompted her to shift focus from education to land reform.
She applied for a Planner position with the Department of Land Affairs. “I realise the importance of land reform in the early 2000’s when we were buying and transferring land back to black people,” explained Parker, who wrote her thesis on Land Reform.
Parker is the Technical Adviser to MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison since 2019. Her job entails advising the MEC on policies and regulations that govern the transport sector.
She recently attained her Doctorate in Business Leadership and Management. “I am cheering for the recently established postgraduate group. The intention is for graduates to encourage and help each other to reach our level,” indicated Parker. Her advice is for people not to give up, “If I can do it, so can you. There is no magic formula,” she reiterated.
Parker’s dream is to be employed by a multinational company, heading the corporate social investment to oversee the developmental funding. “The Bible says, ‘the money of the wicked is stored up for the righteous,” she said.
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