Years of hard work and dedication finally paid some dividends for a resident of Itsani village, Mr Phathutshedzo Enos Madzhuta. According to him, he felt as if a dream had come true when he received the first batch of his poetry book, titled Tshisima tsha ntha ha muri, from his publisher two weeks ago.
The 34-year-old author said that his writing skills came to the fore when he was still a high school learner at Lwandani Secondary School between 2003 and 2007. He was the best learner in the class when it came to reading and acting. His Tshivenda teacher, Ms AS Marwala, encouraged him to pursue his talent. Her inspiring words did not fall on deaf ears. Some of the poems that form part of his book were compiled while he was in Grade 10.
Some of the poems he had written during his time as a learner at Lwandani Secondary School are included in the anthology and include mutendi wa ngoho and vhushai ha thalukanyo.
After passing Grade 12 in 2007, Madzhuta continued to compile more poems with the hope that he would publish a book one day. He finished his 27th poem about three months ago and felt that the time had come for him to approach a publisher. Tshisima tsha ntha ha muri comprises the 27 Tshivenda poems he had worked on.
He thanked his Tshivenda teachers at the Lwandani Secondary School, Ms AS Marwala, Ms LM Budeli and Ms TM Nelufule, who gave him some words of inspiration after they had discovered the talent in him.
Madzhuta said that the book was dedicated to all people, regardless of their religious affiliation or age and is available at most of the local bookshops.