STUDENT ACCOMMODATION
The powerhouse behind the JSE's first student housing Reit
Entrepreneur Kameel Keshav wants to create a housing business with a social impact
On Christmas Eve in 2005, a 25-year-old with plans to become an entrepreneur was playing squash, as he often did. But he became dizzy and had to stop. Kameel Keshav went to the doctor and was told he had a new challenge: a 3.5cm brain tumour. He was completing his studies to become a chartered accountant — one of his major goals — and a tumour wasn’t going to stop him. In 2010, Keshav was 30 years old and excited about the Soccer World Cup being hosted by SA and his forthcoming marriage. He had passed both board exams to become a CA(SA). The crippling pain returned and he went back to the doctor. He was told that if he did not have surgery, he would not live for more than five years. The tumour was too large to be removed by radio surgery. Keshav’s prognosis was that he had a 50-50 chance of survival. "The operation was risky. I could have gone into a coma or lost my eye as the tumour was by the ophthalmic nerve." He had the operation in May and couldn’t attend any World Cup matches...
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