Cynthia Thanda

In a small area called Senwabarana, there was a young man. The man was called Sello Paulosa Madisha. The guy was full of amazing talent. He used to sing at school, at church, at Sunday schools. When he grew up, he wanted to see himself as a musician because he was inspired by people such as Oleseng Shuping and others… ( extract from the book: Lesogana La Mahlale by Phuti Seboni.)

Phuti Seboni’s writing journey began when he was studying broadcasting and during productions such as Isibaya. He would research and his curious mind will create stories in his head that he felt needed to be told.

The Academy used to encourage youngsters like him that a pen can put a meal on your table. After that, Mr Seboni spread his wings. He went on to  write his own films, documentaries, shooting and uploading them on his Youtube channel before finally writing his children’s books.

His books are meant to educate and encourage the youth. Written in his own local language ‘sepedi’, they capture societal problems especially faced by the youth and bring light on such issues.

His first book, ‘Lesogana La Mahlale’, is about a guy who had an amazing talent but failed to take care of it and the story is meant to inspire the youth to take care of their talents, nurture them and not lose them.

His second book, ‘Rakgolo Masoba’ focuses on discipline as readers learn of a grandfather who would correct children in order for them to learn how to respect elders.

The challenges Seboni faces in his craft include the difficulty of being an independent author and trying to sell your books to Departments of Education or to sell your books to libraries.

“Even though I’m trying by all means to market, if you can check at the libraries, there’s old books there. You will ask yourself, why don’t you replace the old books and place a new one?

“So it’s very difficult for independent authors to sell their books to libraries and education. Also, it’s very difficult for independent authors to work with the biggest shops,” said Mr Seboni.

The young author has received positive reviews with parents informing him of how his books have helped them in disciplining and motivating their children.

One of his favourite line from his books is “Monyetla ge o tlile re swanetse re o sware gabotse, re o shomishe gabotse,” meaning when you get an opportunity you should grab it and use it wisely.

One of his readers, Ms Lebogang Mogotsi, a Motswana author of a few books such as Lopogisang expressed how Mr Seboni’s books are amazing. 

“The way he preserves ‘Sepedi’ culture in the form of writing is something we should all applaud him for. I encourage Batswana to buy and read his books as they carry great lessons,” said Ms Mogotsi.

Mr Seboni has published two books and is currently working on having them translated to English. He is hopeful that in April he will be releasing an English version.

Furthermore, he is busy writing the second edition of one of his books which is set to be released around June or July 2025. He looks forward to opening a book cave in his rural area and encouraging young authors who want to have a book on a shelf.

He has sold more than 600 copies without any bookshop. His books can be purchased online at Dot.dot or you can get a paperback at Plk Limpopo mall.