“When I heard the stories of these individuals I was inspired by their determination and their very different stories opened my eyes to the diversity of problems faced by youth,” Zonke said.
He interviewed a teacher who was raised in poverty by his grandmother and had never met his parents.
The second interviewee is a woman who was labelled and discriminated against as a child because she had mental challenges.
The final interview is with a man forced to care for himself and his younger brother after their mother died when he was still in primary school.
Despite these challenges, all three managed to attain their dreams.
Throughout the book’s 10 chapters, Zonke addresses common issues likely to either demotivate or block young people in the townships from succeeding.
These range from a lack of mentorship or role models for the youth to look up to, to poverty, the common desire to benefit from get-rich-quick schemes and underestimating the importance of education.
“A lot of people who have decided to pursue entrepreneurship like to discourage education, but I disagree with that,” he said.
“Education plays a huge role in shaping the way we think and solve problems.
KwaNobuhle author’s inspirational journey
Lwandile Zonke pens book to motivate youngsters in the townships
News reporter
Image: SUPPLIED
He may be just 24, but life has taught this KwaNobuhle author enough about the challenges faced by township youths to pay it forward.
Lwandile Zonke, a Nelson Mandela University accounting graduate, highlights the hurdles that often prevent young people from succeeding in his book, Overcoming: Struggles of a Township Boy.
The author, whose parents came from a disadvantaged backgrounds, says the youth are faced with many different challenges — some more difficult than others — but all can succeed.
To give a glimpse into the countless obstacles faced by young people in the townships, Zonke interviewed three inspirational individuals who pushed against all odds to attain their dreams.
The interviews are in chapter 9 of the self-published book.
“When I heard the stories of these individuals I was inspired by their determination and their very different stories opened my eyes to the diversity of problems faced by youth,” Zonke said.
He interviewed a teacher who was raised in poverty by his grandmother and had never met his parents.
The second interviewee is a woman who was labelled and discriminated against as a child because she had mental challenges.
The final interview is with a man forced to care for himself and his younger brother after their mother died when he was still in primary school.
Despite these challenges, all three managed to attain their dreams.
Throughout the book’s 10 chapters, Zonke addresses common issues likely to either demotivate or block young people in the townships from succeeding.
These range from a lack of mentorship or role models for the youth to look up to, to poverty, the common desire to benefit from get-rich-quick schemes and underestimating the importance of education.
“A lot of people who have decided to pursue entrepreneurship like to discourage education, but I disagree with that,” he said.
“Education plays a huge role in shaping the way we think and solve problems.
“Even if you end up not pursuing a career that’s related to what you studied, the things you learnt at school will always come in handy in life,” he said.
Zonke completed his accounting diploma at NMU but opted not to pursue a career in the field.
He is a motivational speaker and assists in his brother’s trading business.
“I struggled a lot with my studies and failed all my modules while doing [what was meant to be] my final year but I never gave up, I went back to push until I completed what I had started.
“Even though I don’t plan on pursuing a career in accounting any more, I don’t regret that experience because there is a lot I have learnt through it,” he said.
Zonke’s experience with failure and attempts to take shortcuts inspired him to include a special motivational chapter in the book.
In another chapter, he discusses being scammed in a get-rich-quick scam.
The e-book can be purchased through Amazon. To get a copy in print, contact Zonke on 074-207-1372 or www.lwandilezonke96@gmail.com
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