AUTHOR and motivational speaker Lwandile Zonke from KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage recently published his debut self–help book directed at teenagers and young adults from the township which he hopes will inspire them to achieve their goals.
Zonke (24) who has been giving motivational talks at high schools in Uitenhage for the past three years noticed that many pupils were demotivated owing to their impoverished circumstances and were unsure as to how they could overcome their situation.
For this reason, in October, Zonke self–published his first book titled ‘Overcoming struggles of a township boy’ which is a self–help book for teenagers and young adults from the township.
In the book he wrote about his difficult upbringing and the various challenges he faced as a young adult which he believed many people in his community would be able to relate to.
“Being from a disadvantaged background is not easy at all because one must go through various challenges which impacts your mental state, emotional well–being, education and finance,” said Zonke.
He said in the township, he believed there were certain things that hinder young people from progressing and achieving their goals.
With his book, Zonke therefore hopes to inspire and encourage young people to work hard and overcome their circumstances.
The book consisted of 10 chapters which focused on various experiences.
Chapter five titled ‘The importance of mentors and role models’ Zonke focused on the importance of role models and mentors which could help guide young people towards success.
“Young people in the township lack role models and mentors and that is why our journey to success is very long,” said Zonke.
To ensure that people could relate to at least one story or situation in his book, chapter nine titled ‘Conversations with inspiring township individuals who conquered their struggles’ featured three individuals from Zonke’s community who grew up under difficult circumstance, but were still able to succeed in life.
Like many of his peers in the township Zonke’s road to success was not easy at all.
While studying towards obtaining his Diploma in Accountancy at Nelson Mandela University, he found it very difficult to excel and instead he continuously failed many of his subjects, which he wrote about in chapter 10 titled ‘Never give up, keep going’.
“I tried my best to do well at university, but I was struggling to pass. In my final year, I failed at least 60% of my modules,” said Zonke.
Fortunately, he qualified to re–write his subjects in the supplementary exams and despite the various challenges he continued to face, he was able to excel and graduated in 2019.
“After I discovered the importance and the power of preparation, I was able to pass my exams. Having goals also motivated me to work hard and obtain my qualification” said Zonke.
“I had to unlearn a lot of bad habits and instil new good ones. I associated myself with people who were excelling in their academics which helped me strive for excellence.”
By sharing his life experiences in his book, Zonke hopes to remind young people that struggles and failure were inevitable parts of life, but faith was the key to overcoming difficult circumstances.
“Faith is the very first step to overcoming whatever you are going through in life,” said Zonke.
- For more information or to buy the book (R150) contact Lwandile Zonke on 074 207 1372 or Lwandilezonke96@gmail.com.
