“Believe in yourself,’ says Malangeni’s newest author

Thobile Nene from Malangeni, has had a a dream for as long as she can remember – a dream to write her own book.

However, due to various circumstances, she never had the opportunity to fulfil this dream…until last year.

“During my teenage years, I came up with a storyline that I wanted to put on paper.

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“Now, after years of convincing myself it wasn’t possible, I’ve finally done it,” said Thobile.

After what she describes as ‘a very long and challenging publishing process’, The Men In My Life: Scarred By The Men I Trusted, was released last year.

It tells the story of a young girl who was molested by her stepfather and didn’t know who she could confide in.

“She grew up keeping this secret from the world and every time she got close to a man, she would get hurt and blame her past,” explained Thobile.

“I wrote this book as a platform for young women to speak out about such matters and to encourage them to confide in someone who can offer assistance.”

There are frightening levels of gender-based violence in the country, and Thobile hopes that she can use her book to make a difference in the lives of women who are victims of this.

“My book is targeted at young girls and their mothers in particular, because I want it to spark conversation about gender-based violence and similar matters,” she said.

“The book will serve as a reminder to parents to be vigilant and monitor their young children, as it is proven that the majority of sexual abuse cases are committed by perpetrators known to victims.”

Thobile’s book was well- received across the world.

She works as a croupier on a cruise ship and was allowed to promote her book on board last year, and will promote it locally this year.

“It was exciting, knowing that people from places like Peru, Mexico and China were reading my work,” she said.

She is grateful for all of the support she’s had from her family and encourages other writers to start believing in themselves more.

“Many people say they don’t know if they’d be able to write their own book.

“I believe that if you can tell a story, then you can definitely write one, and don’t be afraid to ask others for help while doing so.”

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