From an undocumented, unknown struggling young boy to an accomplished, dedicated motivational speaker, author and poet. This is the story of 22-year-old Zenzo Siziba of Old Magwegwe Suburb in Bulawayo, who did not allow his circumstances to determine the future nor deter him from pursuing his dreams.
In an interview with CITE, Siziba narrated how he struggled to get through school without proper documentation, a situation that made him miss out on several opportunities in school.
Born in a family of five, Siziba says his mother failed to acquire birth certificates for them.
He said he only managed to get his documents with the assistance of a non-governmental organisation when he was 16 years old.
“I was raised by my mother but she did not do much to attain national identity documents for my sister and me. When the time came for me to start school, my grandfather in Mberengwa took me in and got me enrolled in one of the schools there,” narrated Siziba.
“After completing my primary education at Mwenezi Primary School, I came back to Bulawayo and getting a form one place was a nightmare as I did not have the required documents. However, my results were good that Ihlathi Secondary school admitted me and advised that my mother make efforts to get me the necessary documents.”
He said one afternoon while listening to the radio, he heard of an organisation called Trinity Project which assists people to acquire national documents.
“The process took about three weeks for me to get my birth certificate. My sister also got hers through the same organisation. What hurts is that there are some opportunities that I missed in school because of lack of documentation. I loved public speaking and I was also good at playing chess but I couldn’t compete beyond my school because I had no birth certificate,” Siziba said.
Siziba said despite the challenges he held on to his dream of being a writer and motivational speaker.
“Often people lose out on life opportunities because they either procrastinate or give up easily. It’s never too late to do what you want to do, despite your age. You’re never too old or too young to chase your dream,” he said.
Siziba has penned five books which were all published under Evolution publishers.
The books are My life without Direction, The lost Generation, Breaking the Codes of Limitations, The Restoration of Gospel and Love is Art.
He said this year he looks forward to publishing two more books, Disability and The Scroll of Norms and Values.
