It’s a long way from Kuils River to Dubai, both literally and figuratively, a fact that Laverne Turner-Manuel is reminded of daily. She’s perched on a stool in the studio, her eyes closed, and her head thrown back as the make-up artist expertly applies foundation.
Laverne draws shapes in the air with her hands as she talks, and you can tell she’s not accustomed to sitting still. ‘I was born behind the boerewors curtain,’ she laughs, her right arm sweeping out in the direction of the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town. ‘I was raised by my father,’ she continues, explaining that her mom left when she was 13. ‘One day, she was gone.’
Though her mother drifted in and out of her life, Laverne developed an very strong bond with her father that continues to this day. ‘He did everything for me, even though I don’t think he always knew what he was doing,’ she smiles. ‘We kind of looked after each other; he was my friend, my confidante.’
In her final year of high school, Laverne became pregnant. Determined to complete her education, she got her matric diploma and went on to study performing arts at the Cape Academy of Dramatic Art, juggling her course with the challenges of being a teen mom.
She recalls standing in queues for hours at maintenance court, rushing to class, then to her job at a local store, then back home to look after her infant son. ‘It taught me how resilient I was. When you’re a mom but also still a child, it makes you grow up very quickly!’ she shares.
When her son, Jaedyn, was two years old, Laverne’s life consisted of little more than college, work, home. One night, friends came over, determined to drag her out of the house. ‘We went to a nightclub, and one of my friends introduced me to a guy called Don. He stuck to me like glue, and we just struck up one conversation after another.’ From that day on, Laverne saw Donovan Manuel every single day.
‘He wooed me, persistently, to the point where my dad told me to ask him to stop coming over,’ she chuckles. Donovan adopted Laverne’s son just after they got engaged. Don was offered a job in Dubai as general manager for finance and insurance at Mercedes-Benz. The couple moved in 2008.
‘I was up for an adventure, even though I knew there were going to be risks involved.’ On arrival, Laverne struggled to come to terms with her new environment. ‘The language barrier is a big challenge, and the locals weren’t very friendly.
Everything in Dubai is extremely rigid, from the dress restrictions for women to the laws around the consumption of alcohol,’ shares Laverne. She worked as an account executive at JP Morgan, while she found her feet, and was soon promoted to facilities manager, responsible for two buildings, one in Dubai, and the other in Abu Dhabi.
Keen to get out of corporate and focus her energy on something in which she would find more meaning, Laverne returned to Cape Town during her annual leave and started hosting events aimed at empowering women.
‘I think it’s so important for women to talk about the things they are going through. It’s through sharing and in conversation that we realise we are not alone,’ says Laverne, who speaks openly about the adversity she has suffered.
‘It’s important for me to be able to tell my story, so that people can understand that no matter what you’ve been through, you can still change your course; you can still reach from your dreams.’
Around 60 people attended the first event Laverne hosted, ‘and 20 of those were friends and family’ she admits with a grin. Through word of mouth and Laverne’s activity on social media, the events now attract anywhere from 100 to 200 people.
‘I’m not concerned about how big the group is, as long as the people who are there realise they need to hear what I have to say. To be honest, I host these events for myself as much as I do for others. I need to be reminded about what I’ve been through and how far I’ve come.’
‘IT’S THROUGH SHARING AND IN CONVERSATION THAT WE REALISE WE ARE NOT ALONE.’
The light in Laverne’s eyes dims briefly as she says this, and as gently as possible, I ask if she’s ready to share the story behind her pain. She sits up a little straighter, shakes her shoulders out once or twice in a rolling motion, smiles a little and says: yes.
Laverne’s son Jaedyn was cut from the same cloth as his mom: funny, adventurous, outgoing and incredibly social. ‘We were incredibly close, he was my best friend,’ says Laverne, her pride palpable as she tells me he was the UAE skateboarding champion for two years running.
In 2018, Jaedyn joined Laverne on a trip to Cape Town to spend Christmas with family. He got a job for the holidays, and put in his application for a Wakeel visa, as he was about to turn 18 and would be required to enter Dubai as an adult on his return.
‘We were due to fly back together on 8 January, but Jaedyn’s visa didn’t come through,’ continues Laverne. The pair agreed Jaedyn would stay behind with his grandfather until the paperwork had been processed. A week later, on 15 January, Laverne opened the door to her apartment in Dubai and knew something was terribly wrong.
‘Don was standing there, and I remember wondering why he still had his sunglasses on. He collapsed in front of me and I know instantly something had happened to Jaedyn.’ Laverne hopped on a flight that night. ‘It felt like the longest 9.5 hours of my life!
As soon as the wheels hit the runway in Cape Town, I shot out of my seat and reached for my bag. I pushed past people, elbowing them out of the way, desperate to get to my son, all the time thinking: ‘Maybe he’s okay! What if he’s fine?’. Jaedyn was at the Tygerberg mortuary.
‘He looked like he was sleeping,’ she says, adding that she found an odd sense of comfort in visiting him every day. Her tears spill over as she reaches for her phone and pulls up a picture of a tattoo of Laverne’s name on Jaeydn’s arm.
‘I NEED TO BE REMINDED ABOUT WHAT I’VE BEEN THROUGH AND HOW FAR I’VE COME.’
‘He got it done the day before he died – “Don’t show dad!” he made me promise, until he could get Don’s name inked on his other arm.’ Laverne had spoken to Jaedyn on the phone the night he passed. ‘Jae had climbed into bed with my dad, and they stayed up talking until past midnight.
We signed off the same way we always did. “Never forget how much I love you” I told him. His last words: “I know, mom.”’ Jaedyn never woke up. An autopsy was carried out but could not determine the cause of death. Laverne requested a toxicology report but is still waiting for the results, three years later. ‘I’m not sure it really matters to me anymore,’ she sighs.
I reach for her hand and squeeze it as we sit in silence for a little while. She wipes her tears, looks at me and smiles. ‘This was meant to be part of my story for a reason. I have learnt to accept the good and the bad. I’m not deeply religious, but I view life and spirituality in a different way now.
I feel him around me. He is there in simple ways in key moments. The other day I was battling with something and next thing a feather floated to the ground in front of me. I could practically hear him saying: “It’s okay, mom.”’
In 2019, a month after the first anniversary of Jaedyn’s death, Laverne took the plunge and started LTM Curve, a project that had been in the pipeline for a while. Its mission is to create beautiful, luxurious designer clothing for full-figured women.
Laverne is involved in every aspect of the business, overseeing everything from fabric selection and pattern-making to CMT. ‘All of our designs are made and promoted locally,’ explains Laverne, adding that it was her goal to represent curvy women as attractive women.
Her designs have been incredibly well received, and LTM Curve has established itself as a successful business. ‘We develop seasonal ranges, but I’m not defined by trends. I design what I know will work for women who share my shape.’
Laverne travels back and forth between Cape Town and Dubai every two months, managing her business while hosting talks and events. Her daughter, Sahara, who is in her first year of business finance, will join her on her next visit.
Laverne pauses briefly and I can see she’s grappling a little with how best to share what she tells me next. ‘When I lost Jae, I also lost Sahara. She was 12 when he died and she just couldn’t deal with her grief. She shut herself off, hiding under long black clothes,’ says Laverne.
‘A few months ago, she told me she wanted to go out and buy some clothes. The moment was a revelation. I feel like she’s finally finding her way back.’ We look at each other and I laugh as I realise I’ve been listening so intently that I’ve stopped taking notes. ‘OK, what’s next?’
I ask, aware that we’ve overshot our time. ‘I’m working on something exciting for summer,’ she says. I ask if she has any more modelling gigs on the horizon, referring to a campaign she was involved in for Milady’s a few years ago.
‘No, I’m good for now. COVID-19 hit just after my pictures went up on display in store windows across the country, so my 15 minutes of fame lasted two years,’ chuckles Laverne.
‘I’m going to continue to focus on my business, sharing my story and offering a platform for women to feel connected. Relationships are very important to me.’
Quick-Fire Q&A With Laverne
Do you have a hidden talent?
Many! But one stands out: I have the ability to create something out of nothing – not literally, but creatively.
Early bird or night owl?
I swing both ways!
List three things you would need if you were stranded on a desert island?
Sunscreen (I have hyper-pigmentation), my phone (I need to check my Insta!) and lipgloss (for the odd selfie!).
Summer in Dubai or Cape Town?
Summers in Dubai are well over 50°C, so definitely Cape Town! Dubai is magic in ‘winter’, though.
What’s the best book you’ve ever read?
The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma – it really put so much into perspective for me.
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Instagram: laverne_tm
Editor: Ingrid Corbett
Photography: Zhann Solomons
