THE year 2024 will be one that Sibusiso Mrwebi closes with pride, receiving a standing ovation from his proud family and friends. Not only did he finally receive his Film and Television Production Operations certificate from The Media Workshop, but he was also awarded Best Scriptwriter and Best Sound Recorder for his school practical projects at the Media Workshop in the Nelson Mandela Metro.
Known by thousands of his TikTok followers as Ras Makhado, popular for his hilarious yet inspirational videos, Mrwebi shared with Mthatha Express his journey of recovery from drug addiction to graduating top of his class and receiving his qualification. Mrwebi, who has been clean for seven years now, said he shares his story hoping it will encourage those who may be going through a similar struggle.
“Straight after matric, I came to Gqeberha to pursue Civil Engineering studies. I enrolled and even got student funding. But it wasn’t as easy as I had imagined.”
Mrwebi said the money wasn’t consistent. “Sometimes it would come through days or weeks late. I would not have money for a taxi, so I would have to walk about ten kilometres to school, get there all sweaty and tired, and have to sit through an entire day of classes hungry because I wouldn’t have money to buy food. Because I was always tired, I skipped classes and fell behind, which ultimately led to my dropping out of school because the amount of catch-up work was huge.”
He says he has found no truer expression than “idle hands are the devil’s workshop” because it was when he had nothing to do, hanging out on street corners, that the temptations started.
“I was introduced to drugs by friends who smoked them. They would get pretty excited when they talked about them, pointing out their desirable qualities like how they refresh the mind and body and how they suppress negative emotions. Because I wanted to get out of my head a bit, I was tempted, so I experimented.”
“I thought I would be able to control my urge to smoke, but before I knew it, I could not control my cravings; instead, they controlled me. I was addicted. There was a point when drugs were all I could think about. I started stealing stuff at home and from my family to sell for a quick buck. I knew I was hurting my family and ruining my relationship with them, but I did not care. I let myself go; I didn’t even bathe; I was a hobo. A slave for drugs,” he said.
According to Mrwebi, church is what literally saved his life. He got a job through a church and started refocusing on his life and decided to return to school.
“I had to change for the better so that things could change for the better for me.”
He said his graduation day is his proudest moment yet, and he feels he has found his purpose, doing drug awareness through social videos.
“Laughter really heals; it is the best medicine. That is why I create the content I do for social media. It is funny but carries important messages, mostly about the dangers of drug use. I use social media as a tool to share my experiences and to warn the youth off drugs.”
