 After matriculation, Plug worked as a librarian at the University of South Africa and concurrently took up further studies at the same university, receiving a BA degree in Library Science in 1968.At the university, in 1970 she met Cornelis Plug a physicist at the Iscor (Iron and Steel Corporation) who later had a successful career in the Department of Psychology of University of South Africa.She married Cornelis in 1962.