Born and raised in Pietermaritzburg, Dr Govender studied medicine at the University of Witwatersrand and later went on to specialize in internal medicine and cardiology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She spent a few years working at Greys Hospital as a general cardiologist whilst awaiting a fellowship post in Cardiac Electrophysiology. She was fortunate to be awarded a fellowship and spent 2 years at St Pauls Hospital in Vancouver, Canada, where she trained exclusively in heart rhythm disorders as well as cardiac electronic devices. She thereafter returned to Johannesburg, South Africa, to practice as a heart rhythm specialist using her expertise to help treat patients not only in South Africa but many other countries in Africa.

She is passionate about cardiology and in particular the field of electrophysiology and its ability to improve lives of patients with debilitating symptoms and serious conditions.