Eastern Cape Author Abongile Ngqoleka Shoulders the Burdens Of the Country With Audacious Debut Book, “Nakhane”
The life story of Eastern Cape-born indie author Abongile Ngqoleka is one that many South Africans are familiar with: the rise of the underdog. Hailing from Mount Frere, Ngqoleka is a full-time student at the University of Fort Hare and the brain behind the book Nakhane, his debut offering. The independently published book is a requiem for his late sister, who was raped and murdered by her boyfriend.
Published against all odds, Nakhane was his way of clawing his way out of the slums, having been stuck in the rut after being dealt the unfavourable hand of growing up orphaned and impoverished.
“The book comes after experiencing the devastating loss with the passing of my older sister in early 2016. I found myself in a difficult situation. As an orphaned student in the midst of my matric exams, I had nowhere to turn. Fortunately, the support of friends and teachers helped me through those trying times. Homeless and grieving, I persevered and matriculated. This book is inspired by my own experiences and the memory of my sister. I decided to honor her by writing Nakhane in 2021, five years after her tragic passing. This book serves as a testament to her life.” he said.
With the scourge of gender-based violence pervasive in South Africa, Abongile admitted that the epidemic wasn’t an isolated issue. By writing the book, he sought to confront the sprawling war against injustice towards those who are without voices and power, victims in particular. Centered around the overarching theme of injustice, Ngqoleka synthesised an anti-dote which faced societal ills head-on.
For Abongile, the task of writing Nakhane was to create a body of work that would be “relevant, useful, and impactful” even after five decades of publication.
“This book delves into important issues such as gender-based violence, rape, the killing of people with albinism, homophobia, the challenges faced by orphaned children, teenage pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, absent fathers, depression, street children, gender inequalities, and being raised by single parents. I felt like it was important for these issues to be properly put in my book because I felt like I somehow needed to take a stand and be the voice of the voiceless particularly the victims of the above-mentioned issues.” he said.
As an indie author, Ngqoleka shared how the experience of being an a DIY author is a double-edged sword which has been as exhausting as much as it’s also satisfying. While he was able to fund his endeavor by using his NSFAS allowance, the fiscal stretch has hampered the process, causing him to sacrifice a much-needed book launch. Yet, coming from a “hopeless background”, according to him, is what spurred him forward, that looking forward is the only thing on his mind when it comes to fulfilling his dreams.
“The journey as an independent author has been a very good experience but hard at the same time because this is my first book and I had to do everything by myself, the only time I went out of my vicinity was when I had to get professionals to take care of the book production. Thus far, I have funded everything personally, including payments for publishers, professional editing, typesetting, formatting, and printing now I’m facing the distribution side and the main challenge lies in the lack of financial resources to support the book launch and its further promotion. Unfortunately, I am unable to arrange a proper book launch or travel to different locations due to the financial burden.” he said.
The road may have been a steep incline for Abongile who has had to walk it by himself, but it hasn’t been an undertaking without its fair share of rewards. His story is one that showcases the strength of the human spirit and the value of resilience. His publication of Nakhane is a reminder that by free will, anyone can shift the tides of life. He shared three of his proudest moments as an author.
“I would say one of the three moments was when I went to do a TV interview with SABC News. The interview happened two days after I first touched my book after years of battling with it. Second one was being recognised by the institution, the University of Fort Hare. I went to university with a single pair of trousers, no blankets, no food and I had only R2 when I got admitted into university. So now when they finally had something to say about me on their online news portal, it really made a huge impact in my life and I knew then that I’m on the right path. Thirdly, I must say the day when I finally received my books, I felt so proud of myself at that moment, coming from the orphanage, doing hard labours to put bread on the table and finally making it out there as an author from a background that’s not so promising.” he said.
It’s been said that the sky is the limit. For Ngqoleka, what he seeks to achieve in the years to come gives a glimpse into how high the ceiling of his potential is and how that doesn’t intimidate him. Coming from humble beginnings, he wants it all, and knows in his heart that the world is but his oyster.
“Ten years from now on, I see myself writing in the Hollywood. I see my books being turned into movies, and I see myself sharing global stages with my heroes in this writing industry. I see myself acting in the same stories that were written by me.” he said.
Connect with Abongile:
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/abongile.ngqoleka
The book can be obtained from Abongile for R`180.