Getting to know the community comes with surprises of hidden talents and big dreams.
Meet Thabang Simon Morodi (33), or ‘Pencil’ as many of his peers call him.
People might recognise him as the friendly waiter at a local restaurant in Heidelberg, but he has a hidden talent not many have heard of.
Morodi grew up in Balfour. After his family relocated to Heidelberg, he attended Sakhile Primary School and finished Grade 12 at Ratanda Secondary School.
Music has been part of his life for as long as he can remember.
His baritone voice became evident during a school choir competition in Grade Four, and that is when he got his nickname ‘Pencil’.
Morodi has always been relatively tall and slender, and the deep voice that came out of his mouth when he sang surprised his teachers.
“My teachers and friends couldn’t believe I could sing in such a deep voice and was able to deliver complex melodies. As a joke, they called me ‘Pencil’. It is still my nickname today,” Morodi said.
There is no language barrier for Morodi when it comes to singing.
“As long as I can learn the words from the script, I can sing it,” he said, adding that he always loved classical, gospel and indigenous music. His favourite singer and inspirer is the American musician, singer and songwriter PJ Morton, and his song Good Morning is Morodi’s daily get-up-and-go song.
As a member of the Mayibuy’ ISakhile Youth Development Choir, Morodi travelled to Germany in 2014, where they performed in front of thousands and sang classical songs by well-known opera singers like Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo.
Due to financial constraints, Morodi could not further develop his baritone talent after school. For the past eight years, he has worked in the hospitality industry as a waiter and developed a love for the industry. He has two big dreams for his future, and music is one of them.
He wants to open his own restaurant in Ratanda called Pencil Meet and Chill and bring classical music back to the community.
“Classical music is not always recognised and loved in the community. I want to reintroduce people to the genre’s beautiful sounds and melodies,” Morodi said.
He ended with a quote for all those who love music:
“Keep singing. Sing in the shower. Do what you love, and never stop creating beautiful melodies in life.”
