Ms Sizakele Mokhele, lecturer for Creative Writing at Sol Plaatje University’s School of Humanities since October 2019, possesses a vast knowledge of literature that extends past the classroom walls. She is a published author and a renowned poet who obtained her master’s degree in Creative Writing in 2018 from Rhodes University. Her thesis was a collection of poems focusing on real stories about poverty, love, politics, past pains, and healing, written in demotic language.
Reflecting on how her passion for writing developed, she recalls a series of events that helped cement her love for creative writing. “I lost my sister in 2003, and that’s when I started to take writing seriously. It was Mr Abdul Milazi, then editor of Sunday World, who made me aware in that year that I am a writer. Prior to that, I was always surrounded by stories in different forms, including music, hip-hop/rock, my neighbour’s morning gossip, and my mother’s stories – she is a great storyteller, she made me feel and understand the pain of 16 June 1976, the Youth Uprising.”
Ms Mokhele initially studied towards an Information and Computer Technology (ICT) degree at the Durban University of Technology, but soon realised this career direction was not her passion. She then took a leap by doing her MA in Creative Arts, which propelled her to the world of literature and writers whose work is revered and alive. She cites the poem ‘The children of Nonti’ by Mafika Gwala and says it and many other poems and poets inspired her: “I believe in the power of poetry; it is a language on its own and word is power. I hope to write as transparently and honestly as I can, because I want readers to feel and see something through writing my reality/realities – as many writers have inspired me through their realities.”
Ms Mokhele is involved in the Art Lexcia Podcast, an art-based podcast that’s interested in Africa and its liberation. “We profile artists and brave minds from different parts of the world; we talk about their art processes and entrepreneurship. We believe our work is for sharing knowledge and nurturing the very being as a symbol of Black Love. And that love is good for our mental, spiritual, economic and physical well-being; these themes feature often on the podcast,” she explains.
She’s also involved in visual artist Wesley Pepper’s Gallary360 Africa app, conceptualised during the COVID-19 pandemic. The app, still in development, will sell art using an online platform that creates access to art for all, and promotes entrepreneurship in the online art space. The app also seeks to find balance, by utilising both the physical and online worlds to create accessibility for everyone.
Ms Mokhele inspires her students at SPU to know their history and motivates them to learn more about themselves through the art of poetry and reading books. “I hope my students will eventually see reading as one of the pleasures of the world, and understand and appreciate the power and value of their stories, and the world around them. Then use that knowledge to come back to contribute positive contributions to the world.”
Ms Mokhele is currently working towards her PhD in Creative Writing as well as writing a book dedicated to her uncle, the political activist Jabu Maswanganye, who went into exile in 1977. With this book, she hopes to keep his legacy and name alive.
This talented writer wears many hats. When questioned about her legacy, she responds: “I want to contribute to society and the world at large through knowledge sharing. To help people finding their voice and their truth through the arts.”
