Speelman Fanie Mathibela, 34, is an artist and community leader shaped by the soil and spirit of rural South Africa. Raised in Sehlakwane, Limpopo, his early years were defined by resourcefulness — crafting toys from clay, sticks and scrap metal, a practice that laid the foundation for his artistic journey. Although he once dreamt of becoming a professional footballer, limited opportunities in rural areas redirected his path. In 2010, he moved to Tweefontein, Mpumalanga, where he embraced the arts as a career. He co-founded a local organisation and now heads its arts department, designing programmes that promote culture and support local artists. He has a grade 4 music theory certificate from Unisa and studied per- forming arts at Mukombe Multi-purpose Art Centre. He is an alumnus of the Young African Leaders Initiative and the Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative’s High Impact Leadership Programme. In 2023, he volunteered as a creative arts facilitator at a local school. His play won first prize at a provincial festival in 2024, providing learners with their first experience of theatre. Through his company, Black Colony, he mentors young people to resist social ills through the performing arts.
Volunteered as a creative arts facilitator in 2023, aiming to improve participation in the arts within the school and broader community. This led to an appointment by Endumbeni Cultural and Creative Arts Centre, with placement at a school of choice — aligning seamlessly with existing efforts. The role came with an exciting opportunity: a school theatre festival. A play was written and directed for the festival — the school’s first-ever theatre production. In March 2024, the play was showcased at Witbank Civic Theatre and, out of 22 participating schools, first place was awarded. This marked a significant milestone for the learners, the school and the surrounding rural community. For many learners, it was their first time seeing or performing in a theatre. The prize included a trip to perform for Mpumalanga Department of Education officials and an overnight stay at Ndalo Lodge — their first experience of a hotel. The project reinforced the importance of creating platforms that can transform lives and expand horizons — turning once-distant dreams into tangible realities.
I have a lot of people whom I look up to, but Thandiswa Mazwai is the first person who comes to mind when I think of people whom I admire. She is one of the greatest African musicians of all time to me, and I admire how she uses her music to speak to the people and for the people. She could easily choose ordinary topics and content that this generation consumes in most of today’s music, and she would make a killing out of it, but no — she chooses to use her music to speak for the struggles of Africans and to use her music as a tool to continue fighting for the true liberation of an African child. She is unapologetically Pan-Africanist, and she stands for the people and for what she believes in, no matter the cost.