Westville woman shares her religious writings
Pastor, writer and motivational speaker Thandiwe Ngongelo is a woman of many talents
AT 61 years old Westville resident Thandiwe Ngongelo, a pastor at a New Germany church, has penned three books so far this year and says she has no intention of slowing down.
Thandiwe was an English teacher in Johannesburg for 35 years before relocating to Westville in 1997 when her husband Eddie was transferred to the area as a regional manager for Inter-park. “I just love the area,” said Thandiwe.
She said she has always had a passion for writing from an early age, and when she was in Grade 2 she would write letters for her grandmother.
“Writing to me is just like breathing. Something I also love to do is motivational speaking. When I was at school I loved talking and was always getting into trouble. When I grew older I learnt to start talking at the right times and this led me to becoming a pastor,” said Thandiwe.
She started the Act of Obedience Church in North Beach in 1998 with her husband and in 2002 they moved the church to New Germany.
She released her first self-published book, She Shall Be Called Woman, in 2001 and admits that of the ten she has written so far, it is her favourite piece. “When I write, I write overnight. I don’t mind not sleeping as my thoughts are always running. It can sometimes take me a week of writing day and night to finish a book. As a devout Christian my books are mainly based around the Bible, but I write about life in general,” said Thandiwe.
She has quickly become a beacon of hope and strength for other women in the community and in 2002 won the Woman of Excellence award and the Community Builder award at the Mrs SA Beauty Pageant. For three consecutive years from 2003 she was a semifinalist in the Shoprite Checkers SABC 2 Woman of the Year in the education category. In 2011 she was among 22 people nominated for the eThekwini Living Legends award.
“The other thing that I love is music as it is a part of me. Conducting the church choir is a bonus. I also have to garden at least twice a week,” said Thandiwe.
Thandiwe has three children and five grandchildren and says that her four dogs also own her heart.
She plans to write another two books before the end of the year.
