Simphiwe, the man behind Radio Turf
The mastermind behind the popular University of Limpopo radio station, Radio Turf and the co-founder of Energy FM, has always been a man with a plan and strong conviction to back it up.
LIMPOPO –Â Born in Pietermaritzburg, the doting father and husband, Simphiwe Mdlalose, was raised both in KwaZulu-Natal where he went to boarding school and Soweto. After completing his matric, he was worried when he had not heard anything from the universities where he applied but his mother came to the rescue.
“After I didn’t get a reply from the places where I applied to, my mother suggested that I apply at the University of Limpopo (UL). I was a bit apprehensive because I did not understand why we should come this far, added to the fact that we didn’t have the money. She told me not to worry about our finances and I enrolled at UL,” Simphiwe explained.
He obtained a degree in economics and was an active student throughout his varsity years. During his first year he played a pivotal role in the university. He was involved in the school newspaper and helped set up the campus radio station.
“I was quite an active student, in my first year I was already writing for the student newspaper. I always had a passion for writing,” he continued.
According to Simphiwe the university tasked them with the role of setting up a radio station and he was keen. “When we were asked to set up the radio station, I was the first student to raise my hand. I went on to do some research and now, 21 years later, Radio Turf is still going strong and I’m proud because it’s a project I started.”
Simphiwe is a man of many talents, besides being an entrepreneur and a motivational speaker, he is also an author. He started writing in 2010 and has not looked back since. His latest book is called His Grace Volume 3 and contains a message which speaks to everyone.
“Over the past six years I have invested a lot of time and effort into writing my books and this is my fifth book. Everyone has a story to tell and in telling those stories we have to choose between being the victim or the victor. We either look at what happened to us in a negative light or take it as a lesson and move on,” he explained.
He said his book is a spiritual and motivational journey with personal life lessons and experiences. “When you read it, it will give you a strong message of hope, it does not matter if you are Christian or otherwise. The book is meant for everyone,” he continued.
Simphiwe shared the reason why he started writing. After his close friend passed away, he had a moment to reflect.
“On my way back from the funeral, I was pondering my friend’s life and thought that many of us live lives that are not documented. We get buried with our ideas, dreams and all our experiences. I wanted to leave a legacy”.
He said there is still more to come from him as he is a man who wants to constantly reinvent himself. “I want to continue my public speaking career, I realised that this is a very big industry in South Africa and the rest of the world,” he concluded.
His book is available at www.makebelievegroup.co.za and sells for R170.
