Winterveldt teen turns passion into purpose with literacy
Young local author Palesa Moloko Mtsweni uses her passion for storytelling to uplift and inspire young learners from her community in Winterveldt to fall in love with reading and gain self-confidence.
At an age where many are still finding their path, Palesa Moloko Mtsweni has found her passion in storytelling, a talent that she uses to inspire young minds from her local community.
The 19-year-old author and Miss Face of Africa Second Princess (South Africa) 2024 from Winterveldt is inspiring young learners from her township to read, express themselves, and lead through the power of words.
Photo: Supplied.
Speaking to Rekord, Mtsweni said her passion for literature is what inspired her to become an author and advocate for reading for fun in communities.
The support from her family encouraged her to become a changemaker in her community through storytelling.
She said her family were the first people to believe that she had something worth sharing with the world.
“My family always strongly believed in my storytelling and narrating skills and so they encouraged me to share my wisdom with the world.”
Photo: Supplied.
She acknowledged her pageant journey as something that helped her in improving public speaking skills as well as upholding her values as a leader.
“Through duties that we were assigned it also exuded the philanthropy in me. I have learnt that everyone can make a difference in their communities, no matter how small their contributions may seem,” she said.
In May, Mtsweni published her debut children’s book, titled Dimpho’s Dream Card inspired by her personal experiences as a child craving access to a library, with the curiosity to explore more writing styles.
“As a young reader, getting access to more books has always been my dream, I always wished to explore more writing styles, more stories, more information and book genres. So, getting a library card was my ticket,” she explained.
She said she gives characters in her books African names so that the books hold the pride of the rich African cultures no matter what language they are translated into.
Her book is a stepping stone towards awakening a reading culture in her local area, and helping children to see reading as something exciting and empowering.
Photo: Supplied.
Mtsweni co-hosts township reading competitions with her ‘sister’ and friend, Bontle Chauke.
She highlighted that the results have been satisfying as parents and children have embraced the new initiative.
“Parents have revealed that their children are now living Dimpho’s life, which is spending more time with books than screens.
“They are also learning how to make use of library spaces that they have in the community and some at their schools. That is helping them to improve their reading and communication skills,” she said.
Despite the responsibilities that she carries as a leader, Mtsweni is a part-time student at the University of South Africa, currently studying for her accounting sciences degree.
She said her choice to study accounting is strategic, as she believes that literature isn’t just about learning skills, it is a basic foundation of learning how to communicate at different levels of relationships.
“For an individual to communicate effectively with understanding in today’s world, it is crucial that they are literate. Then we will have leaders that can articulate their concerns, opinions and ideas with clear explanations,” she explained.
She said she is able to strike a balance between her work and study duties by following a day-to-day routine that allows her to allocate time according to priorities.
“It gets overwhelming sometimes, but I always stick to my routine, I avoid distractions and procrastination as much as possible.”
Mtsweni said she is currently working towards building book clubs within communities where there is no access to libraries.
“In that regard, I believe children will be able to share books that they have, and learn to read together.”
She advised young girls who look up to her to know that dreams are possible to achieve only if you work towards them.
Mtsweni is planning on writing more books that will focus on helping children to be comfortable and familiar with public presentations.
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