Khanyisa turns sad stories into narratives of self-worth

Khanyisa Baloyi-Maphori, who was born in Malamulele but is currently living in Polokwane, turns sad stories of abuse and hardship into narratives of stabilising self-worth and healing.

Her first book is titled Restored and is the true story of her life. “I was left traumatised after I was raped,” she said. “I was instantly diagnosed with depression. To add salt to the wound, I had to face a broken engagement and the death of two family members.”

However, the most outstanding part about Khanyisa’s story is that she never confined herself to the dark corner of pain and regret but stood up on her two feet for the good fight of living a positive-attitude-driven life. “My healing up to the stage of forgiveness and to the point of restoration took a long time, but what helped most is the kind of strong will and determination to claim my broken life back,” she said.

Khanyisa had always loved reading and writing when she was younger. “I loved expressing myself through writing from a young age,” she said. “I loved diaries where I would write my thoughts. When I started high school, I joined the arts and culture team and that was where I started writing plays for the school.”

So, when she needed to find a way to heal shortly after the rape incident, she started writing down her feelings, because she could not speak about it. “That helped me to express myself without being judged,” she said. “Through my healing process, I realised that I was ready to come out and tell the world how I attained healing and restoration. This is no longer just about me alone but also for other hurting people to read the story contained in Restored and find healing.”

What she loves most about being a writer is the freedom of expression that writing affords writers. “I can express my feelings in limitless words. Being able to meet people through one’s writing without a physical encounter gives me some joy, in that I have reached one or two people whose lives my writing might have touched,” she said. “The kind of stories I tell will always leave a mark on people, and I am confident to repeat it again and again, because these very readers tell me that my stories are vivid and lucid.”

Khanyisa is currently working on her second book, due this year. She is available on most social media platforms, such as on her Facebook page (Restored), Facebook (Khanyi N'wa Johnson Maphori) and Instagram (Khanyi.johnson). She can also be contacted on Tel 076 608 1277.

Entertainment - Date: 13 March 2021

Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

Email: [email protected]