A chapter of the Mail & Guardian‘s 200 Young South Africans You Must Take to Lunch
Atlholang Pooe
If I were elected mayor: I would focus on improving our education system and conduct research on the reasons behind high school and tertiary drop-outs.
Atlholang is a leader in his community and is developing others as well as himself — and he is just 20 years of age. His dedication and love for his work is inspiring. Before he was appointed a groundBREAKER he was a volunteer mpintshi at Tlamelong Clinic. Each day he travelled from his home in Klipgat, a rural area in the North West, to Mabopane by taxi without any transport allowance. When the cross-border municipal transitions were completed, he was appointed the first groundBREAKER in Klipgat, where he initiated loveLife programmes. He was able to establish many partners in the area, and even had one company issuing certificates and prizes to the best-performing mpintshi on a bi-monthly basis.
Atlholang is a guy with initiative who has big dreams that will most certainly come true. He has never flown in a plane before but he sees himself travelling the world and opening his own tourism company. He has plans to develop Klipgat and market it across the country as a cultural and entertainment destination. In the meantime Atlholang is studying, working, volunteering and planning to make his move.
Lunch spot: Matshola; Marks Place, Mabopane township
Sayco Nkadimeng
If I were elected mayor: I would improve education systems, build decent schools and houses, improve infrastructure, improve skills, invest in young entrepreneurs and fund youth programmes.
Sayco gets involved — he’s a strategist, he’s focused, he was born to lead and knows how to communicate. He is a politician who holds your attention. As a young leader he was involved in Cosas and the ANC Youth League. He has faced tough times, was orphaned at a young age and has weathered the storm. He is determined to succeed but also to help others along the way. He is studying to ensure his future is bright and he has been volunteering at loveLife since 2004 as an mpintshi. Sayco is very spiritual, having graduated from Bible College last year, and now serves as a youth pastor within the Emmanuel Revival Church in Jane Furse, Limpopo.
Lunch spot: Ballroom dancing with my dance partner in Sekhukhune
Maimela “Terence” Modiba
If I were elected mayor: Create structured programmes for young people on life skills and leadership, and engage young people in development programmes throughout the year. I would also expand the programme so that it becomes compulsory for all young people, especially young mothers who receive grants, to be part of these sessions.
Terence is a man of action. He believes in instilling hope in all young people, helping them to discover who they are, their gift and purpose in life and motivating them to dream big and achieve their goals. Someone did that for him and it is now his mission in life to do that for thousands of other young people across the country in schools and churches that he runs his motivational sessions in. Terence is the second of six children and grew up in Lenyenye township in Limpopo. He had big dreams but finances held him back — but only until he had enough money to enrol for a short IT course. He volunteered at loveLife and moved up the ranks from mpinthsi to groundBREAKER and now regional training leader. Community comes first and you can usually find him leading community development sessions in remote parts of Limpopo. He is currently studying a B.Com and is pursuing studies in industrial and organisational psychology.
Lunch spot: My room or hanging out with friends
Nompumelelo Happiness Mthembu
If I were elected mayor: Youth empowerment; get parents and young people to interact and change their mindsets; clean up the city and make it a better place to live in.
Coming from a family of 11, Nompumelelo knows all about sharing and sacrifice. Her dream is to become a professional musician and actress so she is pursuing studies in music and drama. She’s a singer and is about to record a demo. At the moment she volunteers at loveLife as an mpintshi and entertains young people across her region with her remarkable talents. Her energy, enthusiasm, assertiveness and self-motivation rubs off on all those who meet her and it won’t be long before you see her on stages nationally. Nompumelelo was born to shine. Watch out for her!
Lunch spot: At home with friends
Casta Mwase
If I were elected mayor: I would focus on developing young people to take action and get involved. Initiate programmes that will focus on the future.
Casta is a people person. For her it is all about making a difference in the lives of others and that is why she would love to study either psychology or social work. Coming from a large family she knows all about relations and negotiations, which has helped her to stand her ground and be goal-oriented.
She has been volunteering across a number of organisations for the past seven years and has been a VCT counsellor, a facilitator at various youth advisory centres and has advised young people on careers. As a loveLife mpintshi and later groundBREAKER she motivated and counselled numerous people and will continue on this career path towards making an impact on the lives of disadvantaged youngsters.
Lunch spot: Meditating away from noise
Zwelinzima Mphumele
If I were elected mayor: I would improve sanitation and would invest in information-sharing initiatives, especially for young people.
Zwelinzima is a multi-talented individual who has overcome his poverty-stricken upbringing. After graduating from high school he went on to volunteer and became a loveLife groundBREAKER in the Free State. He is a born fighter who loves turning negatives into positives. He is a musician, having released an album as part of the group Copper; owns a recording company, Underground Records; and has diversified his portfolio by running a specialised training company, LMZ. He trains in leadership, team-building and life skills and believes in attracting business partners who help diversify the skills base to manage and grow successful businesses.
To top it all off he is an actor currently performing in radio dramas. He dreams of owning his own recording studio and becoming a music producer. Since Zwelinzima is a natural-born composer his plans are on track to do just that.
Lunch spot: Memosa Mall Mochachos
Bridgette Moopelwa
If I were elected mayor: I would develop new strategic plans for schools and organisations where there are young people focusing on motivational skills and programmes that interest youth.
Bridgette is young, vibrant and mature beyond her years. She was raised by her grandmother in a house filled with siblings and cousins and finished her matric at just 16 years of age, thereafter becoming a volunteer mpintshi and then a groundBREAKER earlier this year. She intends studying electrical engineering at a technical college and is busy looking for a bursary for this. In the meantime she is working hard and saving us much as she can in order to put herself through college.
So far she has notched up computer skills and is inspiring all those around her by her positive attitude to life — and she is only just 18. Bridgette has been described as an outstanding leader, superb presenter, overachiever breaking target records, and is able to recruit and motivate volunteers at an extraordinary pace. Her phenomenal qualities were recently profiled at an Umsobomvu Youth Fund workshop where she was identified as one of the best presenters.
Lunch spot: Chilling and having girl talks with other young girls at the loveLife youth centre
Mnqobi Nyembe
If I were elected mayor: Since there’s a skills shortage in our country, I would focus on youth development — ensure quality tertiary education, offer young people opportunities, create a students’ fund that allows underprivileged youth to further their studies, but making sure that they earn those means through their academic performance.
Mnqobi hails from the village of Dabhazi near Nongoma in KwaZulu-Natal. He is a motivational speaker, an activist, a trainer and a youth leader from the loveLife ranks. Mnqobi learnt survival skills from a young age. There were more than 10 children in his home and his granny’s pension didn’t go very far. He grew up looking after goats and cows and ploughing fields. Mnqobi says: “I felt very small, but at the same time I felt that I could make my life better one step at a time.” And he certainly has done that. He became a volunteer at loveLife and then a groundBREAKER at the Mandeni Youth Centre, later joining loveLife as a trainer. He now has his own business, the String of Influence Training Institute. He has worked in the Eastern Cape, contracted by a municipality to assist with youth development, and is now contracted to loveLife, developing its youth development programme, and talks across South Africa motivating people.
Lunch spot: Soi, Melville
Veronica Mseswa
If I were elected mayor: I would improve electricity supplies; youth empowerment; job creation; sports and recreation centres for young people; care for orphans; and work on reducing drug and alcohol abuse.
Veronica is positive about life, South Africa and people. She is a true ambassador and wants to pursue a career in public relations with a charitable cause. She was a loveLife groundBREAKER and is still doing her utmost to promote the programme. This is a young woman with talent, passion and a zest for life who is prepared to give the future everything she has. She is on the look out for opportunities to learn, to travel, to work hard and to share her experiences with other young people. She has shown outstanding performance in the Take Back the Future Programme, spearheading environmental issues. She is articulate and speaks her mind, talking with confidence and an enthusiasm that is rare, even when on national radio!
Lunch spot: Writing R&B and pop lyrics with friends
Lesego Tau
If I were elected mayor: l would encourage book clubs, link readathons and business and focus on people development.
Lesego is a writer. His is a name to look out for in the future — he has already had his name in print, having written articles for the Star. After matriculating he volunteered as a mpinthsi and the following year became a groundBREAKER. He is currently a scriptwriter, resident adviser and a presenter for Dlala nge Ringas youth programme on Soweto TV. He has also represented youth at various indabas and aims to challenge the status quo. Lesego knows how to inspire those around him with his actions, stories and writing. He is passionate and gets incensed by those who talk and comment on things without being informed of the facts. He continues to champion the loveLife campaign and is confident that he is and will make a difference in the lives of young people.
Lunch spot: A “picnic with books” at Dorothy Nyembe Park
Richard Ndima
If I were elected mayor: I would improve infrastructure, ensure youth-friendly services in the clinics and fund loveLife programmes.
Richard is passionate about business, sport and youth development and would really like to continue his business management studies. He is currently volunteering as a radio presenter, hosting a sport show for Mosupatsela Community Radio, and is a volunteer at the Cyber-Y’s lab in Botshabelo in the Free State. He is a professional volunteer, having been a loveLife mpintshi and groundBREAKER. His mom is a domestic worker and raised him single-handedly. Having experienced abuse at the hands of his alcoholic father, Richard wants to make sure that other youngsters don’t have to go through the same ordeal. He continues to give to his community and is honing his skills in a variety of areas in order to continue giving to others, especially the youth.
Lunch spot: Internet surfing for info on sport
Lizarine Mashaba
If I were elected mayor: I would create a programme that is focused on young people who have passed their matric and come from poor families who are not able to send them to tertiary institutions. It would focus on skills transfer — running your own business, life itself, motivation and activities to help them keep focused. And, most importantly, people would know about it.
At 21 years of age Lizarine started Napshadi Real Trading, a design and printing business in Jane Furse, a small town in a remote part of Limpopo. She named her company after her granny.
Lizarine spent her youth moving around Limpopo and was challenged with having to learn new languages and adjusting to new schools and friends, but this put her in good stead to deal with the multiple challenges of running her own business.
She completed her matric in 2003 and, with no money to study further, decided to volunteer instead of sitting at home getting frustrated. The loveLife Y-Centre had a radio studio and Lizarine soon found herself becoming a loveLife groundBREAKER focused on skilling up her technical and production abilities. She then initiated a project teaching basic computer skills to young, unemployed people and was noticed by Manyelete Youth Academy, a programme spearheaded by the department of safety and security. Lizarine was soon drafting her business proposal and entering a business competition, which she won.
Her business is moving forward and her community is supportive of her. She has so many plans for its growth and for her own personal development that you cannot help but feel enthused by this go-getter and entrepreneur. “Young people mustn’t complain that we don’t have jobs. We should use our minds, hands and eyes to do something for ourselves,” she says.
Lunch spot: I make the best chicken soup (come taste it!)
Kathija Chanthitoo
If I were elected mayor: Awareness and the creation of jobs, opportunities and other crucial information should be available, especially for parents, so that we can deal with issues such as crime and drugs.
Kathija’s vibrant personality strikes you immediately. She is passionate, friendly, compassionate, goal-oriented and, because she is petite, looks like a teenager. She is currently studying early childhood development while working as a life orientation teacher and being fully involved in community initiatives. After matriculating, Kathija volunteered as a loveLife mpinthsi, thereafter becoming a groundBREAKER and then doing a housing development course.
Her passions are children, family and community, so motivating young people in Newcastle, where she is teaching, comes naturally to her. Kathija honed her teaching and training skills at loveLife and aims to further develop these skills through continued studies. Kathija appreciates quality, principles and continued education. She is valued wherever she goes and is set to transform teaching in KwaZulu-Natal.
Lunch spot: Anywhere with family and friends
Nikelwa “Nikki” Mngomeni
If I were elected mayor: I would offer financial help to the youth to go to school and involve parents, who are retired professionals, in youth programmes.
Nikki is a well-known DJ in Cape Town going by the name “DJ Anonimas”. She matriculated in 2004 and became a Radio-Ys groundBREAKER at the Langa Y-Centre, where she thoroughly enjoyed teaching and training other young people in radio.
At school Nikki was a volunteer mpintshi, learning the radio business. In addition to presenting she gained a wealth of skills in radio production, allowing her to open her own production and events company called Afripulse. She has done shows on community radio — Radio Zibonelo and Vallei FM. At the moment she is multi-tasking, as all good women do, and is working as an area coordinator for loveLife, running her own company, doing her DJ thing and, given a push, singing too. This is an enterprising artist whose hard work is going to pay off and she will become a big name across South Africa.
Lunch spot: Spur or Primi Piatti
Karabo Mabunda
If I were elected mayor: I would challenge xenophobia and look at what we can do for foreigners. I would also fund programmes that focus on moral regeneration for the youth.
Karabo is a co-owner of BMJK Youth Group, which specialises in teaching township youth performing arts and skills development. He is also in the process of establishing an entertainment business that focuses on sound eventing.
In 2006 Karabo was inspired by his young sister’s graduation from a loveLife programme and joined loveLife as a volunteer mpintshi. He later became a groundBREAKER, becoming increasingly involved in making a difference in other young people’s lives. Karabo loves music and uses his talents and passions to bring about change in others. He is currently working on an album (Nazira Group) and is investigating a recording deal for the album. In addition, he is studying law through correspondence, which will help him with his music industry career.
Karabo continues to be involved with loveLife while running his businesses, which produce some of the most powerful theatre performances you will ever see.
Lunch spot: Cooking my woman a delicious Maotoana and Mogodu township meal