The 21-year-old Lehlogonolo Thobejane lives in Ivy Park and is the founder of a campaign, Woo ke Mmele waka, which means ‘This is my body’ in Sepedi.
It is aimed at promoting self love and being comfortable in one’s own skin.
Ma Heineken is difficult to miss in a crowd with her bright coloured hair and ‘out there’ outfits.
Her confidence is noteworthy and has made her a popular figure in Limpopo and beyond. As confident as she is, she explained that it has not always been this way.
“I was bullied a lot growing up because I was always chubby and it got worse when I got to high school.
“I remember I tried everything to lose weight and even asked my parents if I could get braces because I heard that people lose weight because it limits the things you are able to eat but my parents refused,” she said.
The bullying got so bad that she would skip school unknowingly. She also started smoking marijuana because she heard it helped with weight loss and because all of this, her academics suffered.
“Children can be ruthless. I was called carrot body which made me really hate my body because of the comments other children would make.
“I once drank deteregent trying to end my life because of the hurtful things that were said to me daily,” she said.
One day, Diketso Mothiba stood up for her and they became lifelong friends.
With her help, Ma Heineken started to accept herself and realised that it was not her fault that she was being bullied.
Her family also gave her a big confidence boost, especially her sister Dimakatso Seloane who always tells her how beautiful she is.
She decided to start Woo ke Mmele waka to help other girls and boys who are like her to accept their bodies.
“I started wearing clothes that people think are only appropriate for skinny women and doing my hair in bright colours to attract attention.
‘I want to do away with the notion that because you are big-bodied, you have to shrink yourself to make other people comfortable,” she said.
The campaign is sponsored by Esilife Polokwane and Squad Originals.
She will be going to different schools doing motivational talks and addressing bullies.
“The campaign does not promote obesity, it addresses issues that lead to it,” she said. She can be found on all social media platforms under the name Ma Heineken. .
