Thulani Msibi’s imagination to be published

Thulani Msibi is proving that his imagination is worth more than gold.

The author is well on his way to being published with his books set to hit the shelves soon.

Born and bred in Mayflower, he is a Mpulusi Secondary School product.

His love for storytelling began at a young age when he used to listen to radio dramas presented by his late idol, Gubhughubhu Thabethe on Igwalalgwala FM.

He has many influences besides Mr Thabethe and they encouraged him to start putting all his stories on paper, especially in his native language of Siswati in order to stand out in the world of publishing.

That was the beginning of his journey as an author.

He refuses to be boxed in and writes in different genres ranging from motivational to the paranormal and even romance.

“I get a lot of inspiration from the elderly in my family and community wherever I go. I realise they are wise and have many tales to tell. Even old wives’ tales inspire me to write,” he says.

Thulani has finally achieved his dream of being published.
His books “Injalo ke Impilo”,”Iphupho lengculazi”, “Inzila yabantu abamyama” and “Ubumyama womshado” have been given the go-ahead to be published.

“Throughout the years this dream was not even a reality but now all my hard work has come to fruition” he says .

The books contain stories centred on township communities and touch on various issues that are prevalent in African households, ranging from HIV/Aids to broken homes.

These triumphs come after a great deal of struggle, as being an author is a challenge in itself.

“If your book does not grab a publisher’s attention, then you will remain hungry,” says Thulani.

He adds that even when published, it is never enough and one is as good as one’s last book.

His ultimate dream is for his books to be integrated into schools and adopted into the education system curriculum.

Thulani’s focus will now be on his project, aptly named Lwande, meaning “make more”, where he will be grooming writers in Msukaligwa and beyond.

The main aim of the project is to teach writing techniques, assist with getting a publisher and harness their writing skills.

His vision is to empower the youth who are interested in writing short stories and novels plus create job opportunities.

Thulani continues to build his legacy, as he will be writing more books in the near future with a poem or two being published.

He encourages the masses to read and write, especially in native languages, as that will preserve the heritage and the language itself.

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