Giving hope to others

Mkwanazi, a retired teacher and resident of Masimini section, has lived in KwaThema for 65 years.

Growing up in the township was never easy for him, as his mother died when he was 11 years old.

The proverb ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ rings true for Mkwanazi and he received life guidance from many elders in the community.

To share his life lessons and experiences with the youth of the country, Mkwanazi started writing a book in 2004.

The book, titled ‘Sustained by God’s Word’, is a narrative of his life in the township as a little boy and his journey into teaching.

It is expected to be out towards the end of the year.

“Despite all the challenges I came across when I was a young boy, I still managed to achieve my dream of becoming a teacher one day,” says Mkwanazi.

He taught at Zamani Primary School in KwaThema and Mokgome Junior Secondary School in Meadowlands Zone Seven, Soweto.

Mkwanazi’s love for writing started when he was 20 years old after he realised the importance of sharing and encouraging others not to lose hope in life.

He says before he decided to write a book, he read literature about different life challenges and the qualities of being a good leader.

“We always tell the youth that they are the leaders of tomorrow, but we don’t do enough to mentally prepare them for such responsibilities,” he says.

Mkwanazi promises that when reading his book, readers will find a chapter about his life to which they can also relate.

Solutions on how to handle certain pressures and obstacles in life are also included in the book.

Mkwanazi is married to Rose (62) and they have three children, Sibongile (35), Sibusiso (32) and Thandolwenkosi (27).

He challenged the youth to know their purpose in life and to strive for a better tomorrow.