Boys and men from different walks of life gathered at The Royal Khalanga Lodge in Nwamitwa, outside Tzaneen in Limpopo for a men's conference to tackle issues prevalent in their societal spaces.
Raising Legends awards and summit was also graced by traditional leaders, politicians, church leaders, business people,and education officials.
The main purpose of the day was to also honour and award boys and men from different backgrounds for their incredible work and immeasurable contribution to society and most importantly for making a difference in their communities.
The day kicked off with an empowerment summit facilitated by the seasoned speaker and certified life coach, Mathawe Matsapola, in which burning issues such as gender-based violence, mental and financial health, what it means to be a man, communication, mentorship, and the importance of holding each other accountable among other things were discussed.
Popular media personality, Aaron Moloisi, was the host of this prestigious fifth annual Raising Legends Awards.
Moloisi, who is also celebrating 20 years in the entertainment industry, Muvhango actor Gabriel Temudzani, Chief Livhuwani Matsila, football legend Christophe Bongo, businessman Mike Nkuna, radio guru James Shikwambana and Steve Komphela just to name a few, were among the legends honoured on the night.
When accepting the recognition award, Moloisi said the Raising Legends honour was not a personal achievement but a celebration of all the dreams of rural boys and girls.
“This is my first award ever in my 20 year career and my life. A milestone I don’t take for granted. There’s an even deeper meaning that it happened on home ground Limpopo, closer to my ancestors,” said Moloisi.
“From paying 10 cents to watch television next door to marking a 20-year career of consistency and relevance, is the ultimate stamp of approval on all dreams.”
Earlier this month, The Star reported on Tsakani Mkari, who pioneered the initiative. The businesswoman revealed that with this platform young boys are open to share challenges that they face
“It will not take a day or a hashtag to teach a grown man how to treat a woman right if he was not taught from a young age. Making noise and creating hashtags whenever we have a victim of GBV will not uproot this demon. We have a duty to take care of our boys, they matter.”