Thabelo Lindi Rambau from Ha-Ravele village outside Louis Trichardt is an enthusiastic and self-motivated 21-year-old author who believes she has come up with a soothing remedy for the spiralling scourge of gender-based violence. She is currently busy writing her second book, titled A call for Tranquillity, which is a collection of 69 poems that focuses on emotional factors, such as dealing with depression and anxiety. Her first book, On the Verge of Darkness, was published in 2022 by Ava's Publishers.
Lindi, who is a level 3 student in office administration at the Vhembe TVET College's Makwarela Campus, said that she was nearly done with her latest offering, which she hoped to release soon. "The two gap-years I took before I started my tertiary studies gave me the chance to really discover myself and this led to the birth of my first book, On the Verge of Darkness. However, I am almost done with my second book, which is a collection of short stories about gender-based violence – something that has become a big problem in our country. Anxiety and depression are the highest-rated causes of death worldwide. When it is diagnosed, horribly terrifying things happen and, in most instances, people do not speak out about it. I have tried to come up with solutions to encourage people not to die in their cocoons," she said.
Lindi said she would not have come this far, had it not been for the support she had received from her mother, Ms Norah Rambau, who saw potential in her daughter that no-one else saw. "She always encouraged me to write because she believed I would go far. She told me that if I couldn't do it for other people, I should do it for her because she wanted to see my book in her hands one day. My publisher, Mr Charles Hoby, always gave me reason to move, and I have learned a lot in the writing department. I am also grateful to my mentor, Mr Fhatuwani Mauda, for affording me the chance to realise my dreams," she said.
For more information or book orders, call Lindi on 076 820 8689 (WhatsApp), or follow her on Facebook (Thabelo Rambau prayer).