Second book for Mukwevho

Full of life, determination and potential, Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho (30) is proving that a troubled childhood should not hinder one's success.

Despite immense pressure at work as a dedicated correspondent of Limpopo Mirror and Zoutpansberger, this young man still balances his work with his quest for producing literature. His second book, soon to be published, is a novel titled The Violent Gestures of Life.

“In The violent Gestures of Life, I wanted its narrative to examine the need for change of character among South Africans and people of the world,” he said.

The novel describes a young man's quest for reformation and rehabilitation after his evil deeds had him detained in the Qalakabusha reformatory. The young man, Gift, is a 16-year-old delinquent who hails from a troubled family and has been placed in a rehabilitation programme.

Growing up without his biological father, he rebels against his mother and stepfather. After quarrelling with his mother, he runs away from home. His move to town does not improve his situation, and he eventually ends up in the reformatory after committing a crime. He then begins a long but painful journey in the reformatory.

Mukwevho said he wrote this novel while trying to probe delinquents’ minds to find out if he could create a platform for debate and dialogue among the government, rehabilitation officers, NGOs, the youth and parents. He hopes to establish ways to solve the problem of crimes committed by young people in South Africa today. The novel also interrogates different types of basic family relationships, such as father and son, son and mother, and husband and wife (parents).

According to Mukwevho, the content of his novel was articulated around his personal experiences. “I had the rough draft and title of this book in mind while I was still doing time at the Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre,” he said.  “I am deeply obligated to the National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC) who funded the manuscript development and writer's residency, which enabled me to complete this book,” added Mukwevho.

He said he was living the kind of life that compelled his pen to write for social responsibility. He believes in the contemporary youth who do not merely sit down and let things happen for them. “We make things happen. We need healing in different areas of our lives, particularly when it comes to crime. Prisons are filled to capacity with young lives,” he said.

He insisted that the book was for all those who wanted to see their children, brothers and sisters turn their lives around for the better. “If you are a parent, don't laugh at the bad conduct of another woman's child,” he added. The Violent Gestures of Life has reached the post-production stage and will hit the bookstores' shelves in the first week of May.

Last week, Mukwevho was in Durban with his editor, Ms Elana Bregin. She described him as an author who has good insight and an ability to produce the kind of writing that everyone could understand. “If he is writing about a certain village, he has the ability to make you feel that you are there,” she said.

She added that the novel was inspirational and interesting. “His novel is an interesting piece of fiction. Though it is based on some of his experiences, it gives hope that, no matter how bad your upbringing was, it is still possible to succeed,” she said.     

In 2011, Mukwevho’s first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge, a collection of short stories, was published by Timbila Publishing.

News - Date: 21 February 2014

Phathutshedzo Luvhengo

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