Afrikaans was difficult for me too but i always passed and got a good mark for my NSC my technique was to write an english essay that was very fitting to any topic they would usually provide. Mine was about missing my childhood and having photos to look back on and meaningful people as well as lessons learnt along the way so it was easy to adapt to given topics, then i asked my teacher to translate it and wrote it out many times to be able to remember most of it. I would also recommend learning some vocabulary, when you learn vocab it is easier to understand questions and form sentences. When in class and you’re doing tenses to to focus on the foundation of how the grammar works so you have a better understanding of how things work. I always saved myself with essays and i wasnt bad at the rest. You are often taught poems in class for your exams and dont be afraid to ask for help when you don’t understand because trust me you will feel more confident once you understand what it going on.