Mbulaheni and his poetic pen

Mmbengwa Watson Mbulaheni (61) is an accomplished poet who doesn’t find it difficult to dabble in teaching, farming and writing at one and the same time in his life.

Limpopo Mirror visited Mbulaheni at his Khubvi home, near Thohoyandou, and spent a day with him, listening to words of wisdom from the literary sage.

“Any persons who attempt to write must first tell themselves that they are writing for themselves,” he said. “If you love yourself and don’t want to read shoddy literature, you won’t compromise your writing. Then the next person will also find your writing very interesting and full of life.”

He said the biggest challenge for writers in the ‘70s, ‘80s and early '90s was securing a publishing deal. “There was a lack of publishers and your manuscript could lie in the publisher’s drawer for a year before you could hear from them, or else you got no response at all,” he shared.

He made a break into authorship when Sasabona accepted his poetry manuscript Mushengeli in 1989. “It felt like I could fly to kiss the sky,” he recalled. “My mother couldn’t read, but I showed her the acceptance letter from my publisher and said, ‘See, Mma, I am getting published!’”

This author has not only been writing and getting his work published and prescribed for schools, but is a respected manuscript assessor. “I evaluated manuscripts for Via Africa and Shutter and Shooter for about 13 years,” he said. He mentored young men such as Maitele Nevhutalu and Mavumpfarele Lugisani, who went on to become great writers who produced a large volume of literary work in Tshivenda, and won numerous awards.

Mbulaheni was dealt a hard blow when thieves gained access to his house through a window and stole the laptop which contained his unpublished works. “They walked away with lots of my property,” he said. “Crime has gotten out of hand in this country.”

He is trying to put together the stolen writings from scratch. “This is not an easy task; it strains my soul,” he said. “I feel that I am deeply indebted to the readers of literature.”

He writes against corruption and maladministration in the higher offices. In an article published in the then Venda Mirror of 12 July 1991, he states: “I will write for the people. I will pray for them. I will also cry for them.”

His published books include, among others, Mufandilani, Mushengeli, Lwendo Lwa Mutshinyali, Mukosi wa Shango and Mutondi. He has been a school principal at Thenzheni Primary for the 27 years.

Entertainment - Date: 16 April 2014

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]