Tackling life’s hurdles may seem daunting at times but for Mfundo Shozi, writing has helped him overcome life’s challenges.

While the 23-year has been through many tragedies, he tackled them through his writing and is now the proud author of his first motivational book: Dream Catcher- 5 Ways to Overcome Obstacles and Make Your Aspirations a Reality.

Shozi is a DUT Relations BTech student, motivational speaker, writer and founder and managing director of UvoLwethu Communications (a PR consultancy) and MegaStars Sports Management.

Tragedy struck him when his father passed died when he was eight years old. He was then raised by his mother, who passed away four years later, leaving him an orphan. His grandmother took responsibility of him, she unfortunately passed away in 2007. He then went to live with his aunt and uncle, but in 2009, tragedy struck when his uncle was killed in a taxi violence related incident. After the passing of his uncle, his aunt took care of him and made sure he finished high school even though this was a difficult period in his life.

Another great challenge to face him was the loss of his right leg after an accident, leading to the loss of a lifelong dream of becoming a professional soccer player. This was especially tough as the accident happened while he was studying towards his national diploma at DUT. Shozi’s book was written while recovering in hospital for his injuries that claimed his leg. “One of the hardest things for me was trying to accept the loss of the people I loved and who took care of me. When the accident happened in 2011, I really thought it was the end of me, I have never experienced so much pain in my life, it felt like a terrible dream,” he said.

Shozi spent two-and-a-half months in hospital, was operated on three times, spent another two-and-a-half-months recovering at home, and just when he thought he was making progress, he had to have another operation in January 2012. In February 2012, he went back to DUT while he was still recovering from the operation. “This was a major challenge for me because I was walking on one leg using crutches. Students on campus would look at me and feel sorry for me while others didn’t know what to say. Every day was a real challenge but I persevered,” he said.

Even though his first year was extremely challenging, he managed to get four distinctions and received an academic award for his hard work.

His advice to other students? “Never give up on something you believe in. took me three years to finish my book and get my companies off the ground. The important thing is hard work, patience and persistence. Giving up is not an option when it comes to the realisation of a dream,” he said.

His book is available at Adams Booksellers and Amazon for R120. If you keen to learn more about his book, go to www.thedreamcatcherbook.com

– Waheeda Peters

Pictured: Mfundo Shozi with his inspirational book, Dream Catcher- 5 Ways to Overcome Obstacles and Make Your Aspirations a Reality.