Mthethwa lost his parents at a young age.

“They passed away when I was quite young. It was difficult for me to cope because they were always there for me and provided for my every need. I felt alone because there was no one to take care of me,” he said.

Mthethwa became depressed due to his parents’ passing and nearly committed suicide.

“Their death was too much for me, I became depressed and chose to end my life, to end the pain. I was about to take my life at a nearby railway road when I heard a voice calling out to me.

“It told me not to kill myself. I was petrified because there was no one nearby. It dawned on me that it might be God Himself talking to me. I sprinted home, thankful that I had not gone through with it,” he said.

Mthethwa moved to Matsulu when he was 12 and life became a little better.

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“When I moved, I did not know where I was going to stay. I had no family or friends there. I just had a gut feeling that everything was going to change for the better. A local church took me in and took care of me.”

“I started cleaning the church to earn money and they paid me R300 every month. It was not much, but I was thankful for every cent,” he said.

Mthethwa gave his life to God and never looked back. “He saved my life and I will forever be grateful for that.” He went on to open another branch of the church.

“I am now a pastor at my own church and motivate and counsel people who have been in my situation.” Mthethwa started doing videos where he motivates people and posts them on social media.

“My followers really love the videos and it shows through thousands of views and shares. I am happy that people enjoy my motivational messages,” he said.

These videos were so successful that a local radio station asked him to motivate its listeners. “I now do motivational talks on Ligwalagwala FM with radio personality Lungile Mango.”

“I love doing this because everyone going through depression and hard times needs someone to motivate them and to be there for them. I am that person for a lot of people,” he said.

Mthethwa released his motivational CD titled, Khuluma Alex. “The CD has 15 motivational messages and people can get it on iTunes and Google Play. Anyone who is going through it, should please give it a listen and I promise it will be worth your while.”