Nothing in life comes easily. Just ask Ayanda Mjwara. Born and bred in Durban, he grew up in one of South Africa's poorest townships – Umlazi J section.
A product of a dysfunctional family and a victim of child abuse, Ayanda (28) has written a book called From Hell To Heaven. The title speaks volumes about how as a nine-year-old he had visions of becoming something bigger than his circumstances had thrown at him – but life can be cruel and he learnt this the hard way.
"I’m from a broken home where domestic violence, poverty, depression, and drug abuse was the order of the day," he says.
"From the time I was born, we were staying in a one room shack built from mud. I remember very well, that one room was everything to us as a family.
"My dad was the only one employed at that time,he worked as a store merchandiser and was earning little income that could barely take care of all of us as a family. It was even more tougher because he had a severe drinking problem at that time."
He explains how they grew up witnessing domestic violence on a daily basis, even becoming the victims of physical and emotional abuse: "The shacks were so close to each other, even the neighbourhood witnessed it. Now can you imagine what that does to your self-esteem growing up in such an environment?"
During his childhood, he fell in with the wrong crowd and turned to drugs and alcohol. "They took advantage of the fact that I was a school prefect, so I ended up selling marijuana and cigarettes in school because it was easy selling it where no one would be around my duty point and no one would suspect anything. We smoked most of it away though."
It was his determination and drive that enabled Ayanda to complete his matric and thereafter complete his Electrical Engineering degree at Mangosuthu University Of Technology in 2010, but then he was dealt another curve ball. "I thought I was going to live the nice life I’ve always dreamed about, but life had other plans for me. I spent the next four years at home, applying non-stop but I just couldn’t find a job anywhere," he says before adding that this was probably one of the lowest points in his life.
Depression set in and he recalls a time he had hit rock bottom. "I fell apart seeing people whom I went to university with and the ones that came after me prosper in life. I tried to commit suicide, my mind was playing tricks on me daily, and I fell back to drugs to help ease the pain away. I was so broke that I couldn’t even afford to buy a R1 cigarette."
Herein lies the reason for him writing his life story. Current unemployment stats in SA sit at 26.5 percent – it's a sad reality people have to deal with. Today Ayanda is a successful businessman who owns his own energy supply company. But he wanted to document his life and prove that out of the darkness comes light. "With a change of mindset and revelation, I imagined how many people would be saved through my testimonies from life itself, seeing the high rate of youth drug abuse and depression affecting our communities.
"The talent that you have can open more doors for you if you utilize it effectively," he adds.
From Heaven To Hell: Behind An Imperfect Christian suggests somewhat of a religious testimony of Ayanda's journey. Most people tend to shy away from books that appear to school them on what they should be doing with their lives. But he seems to have no qualms with the title, saying that he wasn't born saved and he's not here to preach. "The book doesn’t only talk about God. I’m having a conversation with the reader through the pages. I’m an unorthodox writer because in every chapter I first share my flaws and as I go along, show you how I was able to overcome them."
Such raw honestly and the ability to lay your life bare, warts and all, for the world should be commended.
The book might strike a nerve with some, but Ayanda's message is loud and clear: "The youth of today need leaders that can understand what they’re going through in order to mentor them, instead of judging them."
* From Heaven To Hell: Behind An Imperfect Christian can be purchased at http://ayanda.ayakhanyisa.co.za/