Poet, motivational speaker hopes to take his online talk show to TV

Social media influencers often attempt to reel in as many followers as possible, but Pretoria poet and storyteller
Prince Wako Pitori has instead used his platform to uplift and help thousands of his own followers, with some reuniting with long-lost families with his help.

Born Prince Mazibuko, the 28-year-old said he was initially not sure what to do with his life after matriculating in 2013. But once he decided to take a gap year, his creative juices started flowing. He said he found himself creating short stories. After being encouraged by his cousins and siblings to share the stories on social media, Mazibuko said he was not confident to do so as himself.

That was when “Prince wako Pitori” was born in 2014. “I took my first name and merged it with the place I came
from, and it stuck,” he said. “I started telling stories and writing episodes every night.

“Someone on Facebook said I should start telling stories in away that rhymes. It was kind of like rap but more on the poetry side. And just like that, I fell in love with poetry. In just two months, I had 10 000 followers.”

With piano skills he learned in primary school during aftercare, he was able to add backing melodies to his poetry and released an album last year which performed well on digital music platforms. Following his success, taking home Tshwane Hall of Fame Awards, and touring schools with musician Dr Malinga to give motivational talks and performances, his following grew even larger.

But tragedy struck last year after his stepfather, who had raised him, died of Covid. Mazibuko packed his bags and
moved back in with his mother to protect and watch over her and his younger siblings. Again, his creativity started
to wander and that is when he came up with a concept of helping his hundreds of thousands of followers. “I have a following of close to 200 000 people who need to be motivated by what I do.

So I thought, why not pick from those people who actually need real help? Those who are dealing with depression; people who have sad stories to tell and need help; those who need to confess their regrets. So, I started this show called The Shadow Talk.” Through his live-streaming the show, he was able to reunite a 17-year-old drug-addicted teenager with his estranged father who had disowned him due to his substance abuse.

The teenager’s parents had split due to his addiction and his mother then committed suicide.“He and his father were not speaking for a long time,” Prince wako Pitori said. “He told us where his father works and we found a colleague
of his who showed us the place where he works. We went there and begged his father and told him that his son needs help and wants to change.

He was doubtful but we asked him to give his son the last chance. “Deep down he also wanted to reunite with his son but was afraid of disappointment. When the teenage boy came into the studio, it was the first time he saw his father in years. They reunited on the show and we managed to find him a rehab. He is now in rehab and recovering very well.”

While Prince wako Pitori’s show was not an end to his poetry and motivational speaking, he had plans of turning it into a television show to help South Africans. “I want to use my capabilities and abilities to its full potential,” he said.

“I want to turn this show into one of the most impactful shows on television. We have useless content on television that bene fits no one. This is a sad generation. We have a lot of people who need something like this.”

rorisangk@citizen.co.za