A local slam poet, Rotenda Gavhi, has won the prestigious National Library of South Africa Poetry Slam.
This means that she was awarded a publishing deal for her debut poetry collection and a professional writing mentorship programme. "I am so excited about winning the poetry slam, I do not even know how to explain it to fellow members of the public," she said. "Well, it seemed impossible at the beginning, but then it is not. Everything is possible, and that is exactly what I realized in winning this competition."
She thanked all people who had taken their precious time and spent airtime voting for her. "I extend my gratitude to all people who utilized their time just to take part in supporting me, the Limpopo Mirror, the friends and family as well as my fellow members of the public," she said.
She resides at Duvhuledza village and is an accounting sciences student at the North West University, Ambassador of the New York Academy of Sciences, graphic designer and one of the directors of BeThatGirl.
"I cannot even explain how happy I am, though sometimes it feels like a dream, it is unbelievable," she said. "This is my first time for entering competitions like this, and I feel so blessed for making it," she said. "I am now looking forward to the mentorship programme, which will result in my writing a poetry book and getting it published."