Manenzhe's first book of poems is selling like hot cakes

The well-known radio-drama actor on Phalaphala FM, Mavhungu Manenzhe, is ecstatic about publishing his first book of poems, titled Misevhe Ya Maroroma.

Manenzhe hopes that this first offering to the world of literature will change people’s lives, especially the youth. “This book is about the different kinds of challenges people face in their lives. Some of these challenges we choose for ourselves, while there are also challenges we don’t have a say in; they just come, and we have to face them.”

He said that his poems had not been written in some ancient tongue, but in pure Tshivenda instead. He believes that native poets can keep the language alive by reviving it in their work. “Our language is fading more and more – melting like a hailstorm - as it gets swallowed up by the frequent use of English in our day-to-day life. It’s up to us to record our words and idioms in our books, in our poetry.”

Manenzhe, who was born and bred in Tshithuthuni village, says that indigenous languages in South Africa were struggling when it came to literature, because many big publishing houses were not interested in publishing these languages. “So, we are creating an industry of our own by focusing more on writing and publishing our own work in our own languages,” he said.

Some of the poems in his book hint at the idea that everyone needs to take their talents seriously if they want to function properly in society. “This book is selling like hot cakes. People find it appealing to their everyday lives,” he said. “Wealth starts in the mindset.”

When asked why he had come out with such a book, Manenzhe said that many platforms existed to address issues, and he had found that writing was the best platform to express his views. Besides writing poetry, he also loves to write short stories.

For more information on his book of poems, contact Manenzhe on 082 961 0959 or send him an email to [email protected]. He is also available on Facebook (Mavhungu Witness Balamutshenzhe Manenzhe).

Entertainment - Date: 19 March 2022

Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

Email: [email protected]