AUTHOR, motivational speaker and a guidance counsellor Richman Bongani Mahlangu is in Durban as part of his motivational speaking tour and book promotion in the country.
Richman’s life is a true rags to riches story. Born in the township of Lamontville, he grew up in poverty in the midst of Apartheid. After losing his father at a young age, he discovered his love for the game of tennis. He spent day after day hitting tennis balls against a wall with a racket that had broken strings. Tim Gray, a British tennis coach, noticed Richman’s passion for tennis and offered to coach him for free.
Through fierce determination and his commitment to education to create a better life for himself and his family, he earned a tennis scholarship to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Richman moved to America and eventually trained both of his sons to become noteworthy tennis players at Harvard and Georgetown, two of the country’s most prestigious universities.
Richman currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where as a high school counsellor, he enjoys the opportunity to empower, motivate, and help his students to make better choices about their lives and their academic future. He teaches private tennis lessons at a local country club. Now that he has seen both of his sons graduate college, Richman is now focusing on the next chapter of his life as a motivational speaker and author.
Through his motivational presentations, Richman tells his unique life story and outlines a simple model that anyone can use to achieve success regardless of their background.
ALSO READ: From the garden to the tennis court, Durban coach’s remarkable tale
Richman has authored two books, Zulu Dreams, From Apartheid To The Ivy League, and Beyond Expectations, which he has also been promoting in the country.
“Zulu Dreams, From Apartheid To The Ivy League, is an autobiography that shares my life story growing up in the township of Lamontville and losing my father at 12 years old, yet I was able to envision a better life beyond the that which was being forced upon me and create a better future for my children and myself. My second book is about how I rose from poverty to achieve success,” he said.
The book Beyond Expectations was published in December 2018 and is a self-help book or guide to empower young people to define their own success, find something that they enjoy, work hard at it and turn it to its full potential.
“My objective is to empower young people to work hard at school and in their everyday lives to be able to reach their fullest potential and create better lives for themselves,” he said.
If anyone wants to purchase one of the books, they are available on Amazon and Kindle. They will soon be available in South African bookstores.
Contact richman@zuludreams.com or visit: www.zuludreams.com.
Do you want to receive news alerts on this and many other stories relevant to the Durban area via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
