Masakhe 01 DIGITAL HIRES SINGLE - Flipbook - Page 43
CEM PRESENT
A
story straight out
of a movie, their
romance appears to
be fated. The two
met at university
but attended
brother-sister schools in the Midlands.
Stephanie Botton went to St Anne’s
Diocesan College, and Matthew
Smurthwaite attended Michaelhouse.
Both serendipitously decided to enter
Property Studies at UCT and found
themselves in the same friend group.
They quickly became best friends.
Stephanie Botton was a diligent
student: “I didn’t miss a single lecture
or tut or anything. I was best friends
with the lecturers; I loved them.
Matthew spent most of his UCT career
in Stellenbosch hanging with friends.”
His now fiancée kept him afloat; she
would give him her notes, tell him the
exam dates, and when assignments
were due. However, regardless of their
hard work, they both failed Ecos, she
laughingly recalls.
After four years studying together
at UCT, the two went their separate
ways. Matthew took a gap year in
Hong Kong before moving back to
Johannesburg. During her first year
outside of university, Stephanie found
herself unmoored in a job she did not
feel particularly passionate about. She
decided instead to take a gap year in
Europe, planning on staying in London
for two weeks to see her sister before
moving on to other countries. But,
after “accidentally getting a job” in
London, Stephanie found herself living
in England for the next four years.
Despite the ocean between them,
the two kept in touch the entire time,
seeing each other whenever Stephanie
returned home for Christmas.
In December 2021, Stephanie came
home for the holidays and decided
to move back to South Africa. With
this decision in mind, Stephanie met
up with Matthew, and the two made
another big decision.
During Stephanie’s four years away,
the two had dated other people but
were “desperately trying not to have
feelings for [the] other.” But then, in
that fateful December, they decided to
explore their feelings for one another
and take the next step. Stephanie
flew back to London and handed in
her three months’ notice. In April, she
packed up her things and moved not
only back to South Africa but also in
with Matthew.
“The day I got back, we moved in
together and then we started dating
on the same day. I don’t plan to tell the
kids. I don’t think they should follow
suit,” Stephanie laughs.
Matthew proposed in Plettenberg Bay
with her family on 28 December 2023,
honouring the time two years prior
when they admitted their feelings for
one another. The couple will tie the knot
on 15 March in Franschhoek, “back in the
Western Cape, where it all started.”
Stephanie Botton, currently in
property consulting at Cushman &
Wakefield BROLL and seconded
at PepsiCo, is making waves in the
property space, while her fiancé
is the current director at Scarlet
Developments. Together, they will be
a powerhouse to be reckoned with.
So, who knows? Next time you’re in
class, know that your soulmate could
be sitting next to you.
ISSUE 1
41
OCTOBER 2 024
