Giving hope to the hopeless
karabo.ngoepe@inl.co.za
GROWING up, many people turned to their televisions weekly to watch Bonginkosi "Zola 7" Dlamini offer hope to the hopeless and change people's lives through his show.
The impact and role that he played have been immense. The show gave birth to "Kasi Heroes", individuals determined to change people's lives through numerous endeavours.
One person who has decided to take the mantle and continue Zola's legacy is Prince Simphiwe Mazibuko, known as "Prince Wako Pitori". The young man from Mbombela, Mpumalanga, now residing in Soshanguve, said he grew up as a loner and not part of the cool kids.
During his matric year in 2013, he discovered a love and passion for motivational speaking as he tried to give hope to the sidelined learners.
"I had always been the odd one out. I didn't fit into any of those high school cool groups. I wanted other kids who were like me to know that it was okay to be different. I wanted them to know that it was acceptable, even if it meant being alone and isolated," he said.
"So shortly after high school, during my gap year, I created an anonymous Facebook page where I would write and post emotional stories and poems trying to liberate the 'not so cool' group through a heartfelt form of art. My page grew so fast and gave me the confidence to finally do it myself and not some anonymous kid hiding behind the screen anymore," he added.
Prince wa ko Pitori said he realised that motivational poetry, storytelling and music were his true calling and could change lives doing it. He set himself up to chase the dream of being recognised nationally.
"I did that so that those who grew up like me would know that the world is ours too. Being in the public eye sparked an interest in starting my movement to help people overcome obstacles of their past that keep them from shining in a brighter future. I then created 'The Shadow Talk'," he said.
The show, which is streamed on Facebook, has a fellowship of over 260 000. Through the show, Prince has managed to unite families that had drifted apart.
"We had a teenage boy who reunited with his father on the show years after losing his mother and younger sister because of his drug use. We also helped get him into a rehabilitation centre where he is recovering. We also had a young man who was released from prison after serving four years for a crime that he was later proven to have not committed," he said.
Prince added that another memorable episode was a man who found out that his twin daughters were his best friend's kids.
"As if that was not enough, after finding out, instead of trying to make peace, his fiance and best friend took the twins and went on to get married and live happily ever after in another province," he said.
Helping people and having thousands of people tune into his talks came with its challenges, fame. If not grounded, fame can inflate one's ego and turn people to become pompous. Prince almost fell into that trap.
"The fame threatened to give me a big head and lack of discipline when it all started, but as I grew to understand the industry, I learned the importance of staying humble and not forgetting where I come from. The journey is not too different from the growth of a toddler. You have to fall a few times and get your fingers burned here and there to know what and what not to do, but everything becomes easier every day once you get the hang of it," he said.
"I have learned the best of life's lessons from my come up and believe that I am this man today because of my journey as Prince Wako Pitori. I've lost close friends, family and a wife during my darkest days, and that is the period of my life that has shaped me into what I am today," he added.