Pfano Castro Masimbane (22) from Makonde village outside Thohoyandou won his first award for his debut motivational book, titled Rock of Prayer, at this year's AfriCAN Honoree Authors' Awards.
The event took place at the Genesis All-Suite Conference Hotel in Johannesburg on 31 July. The AfriCAN Honoree Authors' Awards is a global annual event.
Masimbane was one of 150 nominees from different countries to be honoured with an award at the event, and he was beyond excited. He started writing in 2018, when he was still in Grade 10 at Tshivhase Secondary School. "My grandmother always told me about the importance of God's Word, and it motivated me to share the Word of God with my fellow pupils in high school. It became a lifestyle to me and as long as the school environment allowed it, I continued doing it. During festive season recess, I had no one to share the Word of God with, so I thought maybe I should write a book, so that people could have positive messages to hold on to in their life. I realized that writing was the best way for one soul to communicate God's message to others. I was definitely inspired while I was writing this book," he said.
He thanked Anthea Thyssen, the host of the AfriCAN Honoree Authors' Awards, for nominating him. Thyssen is an author herself who honours children and adult authors from all continents around the world. "This is all thanks to her, and it really means a lot to me, because this is the first big award for me."
Winning this award has inspired the young writer to write more books. "I am still going to write more books that will change people's lives. All of my books will be in audio format too, so that it can be accessible to everyone, including those who cannot read," he said.
Besides writing, Masimbane is also a self-taught graphic designer and an aspiring entrepreneur.