Phuluso Netshavhakololo (23) from Tswinga recently released his first collection of Tshivenda poems, called Tanzhe lavhutali.
Netshavhakololo attended Muvhavha High School in Tswinga, where his love and talent for writing poetry were first discovered and cultivated. "I was in the tenth grade when one of the teachers gave us an assignment to write a poem. I presented my poem to the entire class and my teacher encouraged me to continue writing," he said.
After he completed matric, Netshavhakololo started compiling 40 of his own poems, with the aim to have them published. He decided to approach a local printing company, and his book was published at the end of April this year.
He said his father was his greatest inspiration, because he read most of his poems and had given him valuable pointers to refine them. "My father is an intelligent guy. Everything about him defines art," he said.
Netshavhakololo said he would like to see himself growing in his career as an author in the coming years. He believes that poets are the right people to keep language alive through their work. "It came as a shock to me when I realised that our Tshivenda language was melting like a hailstone. That is why I decided to have my book published. It is up to us to record our words and idioms in the form of poetry," he said.
He wants his book to have a strong impact on the readers. "The content in this book is suitable for all age groups and not necessarily the youth alone. It encourages the reader to not give up on life or on their dreams. After reading it, the reader should feel motivated to start a new thing in their life. It talks about discovering yourself and not relying on other people to define you. Once you re-define yourself, you will begin to realise your worth," he said.