"Reflections: A Blue Print for Social Change in South Africa" with Thulisile Galelekile

Our guest on this episode of The Podcast is Thulisile Galelekile, the author of 'Reflections: A Blue Print for Social Change in South Africa'. 

"As a passionate advocate for positive change, I'm excited to share this call to action with fellow leaders, change-makers, and citizens committed to building a better South Africa.

The book challenges us to reclaim our collective power, recognizing that the country's future lies not in government alone, but in our collective efforts as citizens. Drawing on the timeless principles of Ubuntu, I highlight the importance of community, compassion, and mutual support in driving transformative change.

Through inspiring real-life stories of ordinary South Africans making a difference, I demonstrate that individual and collective action can be a powerful catalyst for positive change." Thulisile Galelekile
 

The Podcast:
Camera: Mluleki Dlamini & Siyabonga Meyiwa
Sound: Sibusiso 'Dust' Nkosi
Editing: Mluleki Dlamini & Kwenza Trevor Masinga
Co-ordinator: Phumelele Khambule
Host: Nongcebo Vukile McKenzie

Contact: info@nvmckenzie.co.za
View episodes on YouTube : Link ➡️ https://youtube.com/@nvmckenzie?si=y8ZcaOQ0yYqjGhA8

Disclaimer:
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The Podcast is not responsible and cannot be held liable for any damages resulting from reliance on the content provided through the channel's content. All content is provided without warranty.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:21

On the foreword, her sister Ketiwe Zulu says, Welcome to the podcast. So today is very exciting for me because I'm sitting opposite someone that I respect, not only for your corporate achievements. But for the human that you are. And you have integrity. Consistent, consistent, consistent, consistent. And so for me, it is such an honor to be having a conversation with you. I respect you as a mom. I respect you as a wife. I'm not starting wars. I am filled with pride. I was so sad because I... I said I would be coming to the book launch and I couldn't make it because I was traveling and by the time I got back it was late and I really missed out because I really wanted to be there and see you standing on that stage launching your book, Reflections, a Blueprint for Social Change in South Africa. Welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_01: 2:50

Wow. Thank you so much. Yeah, we are talking about looking forward to this conversation. For me, it's been one of those that I actually have been looking forward to. And I remember I was even sitting at home two, three weeks ago and I was like, I need to reach out to Nonwebo and let her know that I am still here and I want to be on that podcast with her. So yeah, no, no. Thank you very

SPEAKER_02: 3:16

much for having me. The other thing that I was looking at, I was like, Aibo, where did you get the time to write a book? Because, and this was our last conversation on the phone, because you had just come back from taking your son to university. And you are a sister. You are a daughter. You are a wife. You're a corporate executive. You are a friend and you show up fully in each of those contexts. If one of your friends is having something, you are there fully. If your sons are having something, you are there fully. If you're exercising, you are there fully. How do you show up fully for everything though? And then still write a book.

SPEAKER_01: 4:03

I must say, you know, when people ask me that question, it's one of those that I have to take time to think about because for me, it's just part of nature. I have always, always been like that. I believe that if you are into something, you have to give it your all. You have to be in the 100%. And if you are not 100%, it therefore means that there's no commitment from you. So the fact that I am Fully there for everything that I hold dear in my heart is an indication of what those things mean to me. So starting with a family. My family, I look at it as my anchor. I look at my family as my source of conscience in this world that is filled with people that are no longer mine. thinking about the consequences of the things they do, my family holds me to that. So because of that, I then decided that if they are my conscience, it's deeper than just being there. You need to be 100% there. You need to be committed because they are a constant reminder of how you should work life. That's family. My friends for me are a reminder of a lighter side to life. When you are filled with stressors that sometimes hold you back, they are a reminder of what you need to do and how you need to walk life. And they help carry some of the stressors. And therefore, because of that, I then decide that they deserve to have my 100%. Because 100% you give to a person that's able to carry your stresses is more than anything that I can think of. So that's why I give them my 100%. My work, because it's an enabler to the lifestyle that I have, my kids would not go to schools that they're going to.

SPEAKER_00: 6:17

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01: 6:17

I would not be in the house that I'm living at. I would not have the health that I have and the ability to buy things that enable me to exercise if it wasn't for the job. And therefore, it's not a light thing to take if it's an enabler of a lifestyle. And that is why then it becomes very important that you give it your 100%. Because without the job, the lifestyle you have is not going to be enabled. So I give it my 100%. My parents gave birth to me and allowed me to come into existence. Without them, I would not be here. And therefore, I am grateful because they allowed me to experience this life. And because of that, I give them my 100% because in a way, they gave me life. My husband is a source of... Of deep joy. I don't know if anyone can understand what that means. You reach a stage where you've been married for a long time and the butterflies and everything else is no longer there. But what remains is that deep sense of belonging. He gives me that sense of belonging. He gives me that sense of joy. And therefore, because of the significance he plays in terms of that facet of my life, I give it my 100%. So I don't just look at things lightly. I look at things in the deepest meaning and what it means in terms of my well-being. And if it is there to ensure that my well-being is as healthy as possible, whether physically, whether mentally, whether emotionally, whether spiritually, then I give that thing my 100%. The writing is my source of escape because the world can be quite... difficult to handle. And through writing, I'm then able to escape and be able to say things that I might not necessarily say to people physically and be able to reflect on things that I might not be able to articulate verbally. But the pen and that paper enables me to do so. And because of that significance, I give writing 100%. So that's how I am able to show up in full across all of these things that you are talking about because they have a deeper meaning for me.

SPEAKER_02: 8:56

So, oh, and thank you to Uba Bukalile Gile. I would not have known of a place called Pampir Stand. were it not for him being your husband and you writing this book. It was the first time that I read about a place called Pampirstad in this book. But I am curious, you know, it's... And you thanked him in the book, or rather you acknowledged him in the book when you were writing about his journey. And we'll come back to that for being your confidant, for being your friend, for being your supporter. And I think you've said something very important, where even on social media, in movies, on soapies, they portray the butterflies as everlasting and eternal. And when there are no more butterflies, there is nothing. And you put it so beautifully that it... Exactly. And I wish more people would emphasize that because even when we hear testimonies about marriage, people will talk, Whereas I'm not denying that that happens, but it then always amps up the volume on let's keep that excitement alive. And I'm not saying we shouldn't, but As opposed to let's ensure that no zinzo luba kona because it is the foundation, it is really the rooting of it that gives it that unswayability. It will be 50 something years by that time. And it's rare. They'll really say, hey, And I'm curious as to how you establish those roots to that extent where He is your home, as you say.

SPEAKER_01: 11:32

You know, the one thing that I always say, I speak to young ones who are getting into this institution called marriage. And mine is always very different from what others say. I believe that the foundation of a deep-seated relationship is friendship. You have to be friends first. Because at some stage... the butterflies are definitely going to go. At some stage, the heart is going to start questioning. At some stage, the love evolves. It doesn't die because I think a lot of people assume that it does. I strongly believe it doesn't die. It evolves into something else. And if you have a base and an anchor in friendship, There's a different mindset you have as you get into that relationship. It's a conscious decision you make to wake up in the morning and remain friends with someone. It's a conscious decision you make to keep that friendship going. And I do believe that a marriage is exactly the same as that. You wake up in the morning and consciously decide I am remaining married with all his flaws, with all his irritations, with all his beautiful traits. I choose to remain married because at the base of it all is that this is a friend. Being a lover then becomes an added benefit. Being a wife... becomes an added benefit. And you deal with friends differently from how you deal with lovers. There are conversations that you will have with a friend that are difficult conversations to have that you might not necessarily be able to have them with a lover. Hence the reason why I'm then saying it's very important that as your base and as your anchor, the friendship is a root of all of them.

SPEAKER_00: 13:55

Then

SPEAKER_01: 13:56

a love relationship and something else is simply just an added benefit, a God-given bonus to you. Because if you then treat it as a friendship, you are therefore willing to put work, you are therefore willing to put time behind making sure that it works. So 20 years later, Your friend is still your friend because you've consciously made the decision to remain a friend. 30 years, 40 years later, a friend is still a friend. And therefore, that's how I have approached my marriage because I see him as a friend first and then able to. Mm-hmm. So...

SPEAKER_02: 14:57

The reason I keep referring to you as Tuli Zulu is because for a long time you were Tuli Zulu. And I remember when you started your job, where they started your email address, referring to it as Kalilegila. I was like, and then? What happened here? Because, I mean, you'd been married for a long time. And obviously, you know, people will be like, okay, Tuli Zulu, but the EID says what it says, you know. One of the things that... people like still calling you Mazul, Tulizul, is because of the respect that people have for your father. You know, a lot of people, you know, even in conversation, even when you read articles that have been written about him, even if you just read, even when I read about what, or rather when I read what you had written about him in the book about taking in Dennis, about the trips to Lelusha and all of that, he is a person that commands respect through his actions. through how he's shown up at work, through how he's shown up in support of others, through how he's shown up as a father.

SPEAKER_00: 15:59

And,

SPEAKER_02: 16:01

you know, when your parent and everybody's parent is great in their own way, Everybody, some are great conversationalists, some are great helpers, some are great... Because I would have been filled with so much. People are going to compare me to my father. People are going to, you know. Did that even cross your mind?

SPEAKER_01: 16:44

It actually never

SPEAKER_02: 16:44

crossed

SPEAKER_01: 16:45

my mind. I wrote that book as an honor. Yes. To my father. Yes. I just felt that he needed to hear the impact it has from the perspective of his child. It doesn't often happen that way.

UNKNOWN: 17:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 17:03

So I didn't think about him. I literally thought of him in the context of honoring him as a father. I thought of it in a context of acknowledging the role he has played in my life, in shaping who I am today. But not just that, but also in shaping people around here without expecting anything.

SPEAKER_00: 17:27

It

SPEAKER_01: 17:28

was a way of me to say, your legacy lives on. And it's not just going to live on in my mouth only because at some stage, I too will die. And if I die without having pushed the legacy forward, then he's going to be forgotten. So I felt a need to actually then honor the legacy through the pages of the book that I write so that he hears it from the horse's mouth, the impact he's had in my life. And how did he react to the book? It was amazing. Even now, it's surreal. When I was standing on that stage and he was sitting with my mom next to him, and you could see the pride in his eyes. My father is not a man who will come to you and say, well done, you've done well. But his actions say everything. His eyes for me told me that he already acknowledged what I've done and he understood the deeper meaning of the book. The fact that I wanted to use it as his legacy told through my writing and my voice and my language. So he was very proud. And I hear also when he talks to other people and other people come to me and they say, your father has been saying this and this and this and this about you. Then you realize that he's actually a very proud man and that he understands that. His legacy will live on long after he's gone. He also understands that he's done a brilliant job in raising responsible people. And he also understands that he's done a brilliant job in raising people that are conscious about the environment they live in. People who appreciate what that means. And he's also raised people that appreciate that you are because of others. And he's instilled that sense of Ubuntu. And this book for me is a way of honoring him. So I wasn't scared. I was actually looking forward to him reading it in his lifetime so that he hears from me. And in a way, also hearing it from my siblings. Because this book is a representation, not just of me, but of the way that he raised all of us. And therefore, it's a voice from us, his kids, to say to him, thank you. Thank you, Kalmesh. Thank you for raising us. Thank you for giving us life. Thank you for ensuring that we are responsible and shakable, as you said, citizens who are not afraid to go out and speak the truth because the world deserves to hear the truth.

SPEAKER_02: 20:24

It's a hard thing in this world to be somebody who speaks the truth. And I'm not talking about... the truth in terms of perspective I'm talking about the truth because there are unshakable truths integrity is integrity that's it being honest is being honest being respectful is being respectful and in this world those things we've made them malleable and we've made them subjective I remember having a conversation with somebody who was quite a, not somebody that I would categorize as somebody of high association with truth. And the person said to me, Okay. And I was like, really? He was like... And I was like, okay. And I actually realized that he was quite correct because he couldn't trust me with his truth because his truth was to do things that were very, very wrong in my view, that were damaging to others, that were hurting others, that were conniving, that were plotting, that I fully... could not believe that they thought that it was okay to do this and therefore I could not be trusted. I could not. I could not because... And he was right. He couldn't trust me. But the reality is that there is only one dimension of trust because it was the first time it actually clicked in my head that trust, people can shift it to suit them. And I was like... Thank you. And I was like, I found that so, so interesting. So the point that I'm getting at is the reason I keep on emphasizing that you are unshakable, unswayable. And I find you very reasonable. But... 100%. It

SPEAKER_01: 23:05

probably has been one of the source of some of the breakups that I've had with long-standing relationships, whether it's work-wise, whether it's friends, whether it's people that I haven't met that are strangers in a way, but I have some relationship with them. Because I'm one of those people that strongly believes it's either black or it's white. And the grays in between for me, I find they are very unsettling because they tend to... Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. is spoken to build, not to break. I learned from her the bravery of facing whatever challenges you have, no matter how difficult they are, provided they are grounded on the truth, provided they are grounded on ethics, provided they are grounded on building. You go out there and you speak the truth. Even as a young child, I'm particularly reminded of this one day when I was taking Sunday school. I think I must have been about eight or nine. And I dared question our priest about creation because I just, it was a mind-boggling thing for me. We had just learned at school about a state of a vacuum. And then suddenly there is this priest teaching me about the fact that the earth before it became earth was a vacuum. And then suddenly there was Uli Izwi who breathed life into this vacuum and it became something. And I remember questioning him about, but how can a vacuum suddenly become life when a vacuum is a state of nothingness? And he said, he couldn't answer that question and i insisted on asking that question eventually he asked me to leave and i i left and i walked home and at home my mom was there my dad was there and i told them what had happened my mom was like uh we are going back to church you are going to ask the question and it's going to answer you because the only way that you will then understand creation is if he steps beyond just trying to avoid answering. But give you a question, an answer that's going to allow you to understand so that you can move to another phase. And how can I be, if there are certain things that I'm still questioning about religion. So we got into that car. We went back to church. He got into, she got into his office and she said, My child asked you a question and you are going to answer. She left me then, she left and she went and she waited for me outside. And he answered. For me, that was a significant thing to say no matter what, if it's going to help you move forward, if it is anchored on truth, if it's anchored on good ethics, speak up. Because who else is going to do so if you don't? So I've taken that with me as I grow older. In the workplace, I could have five, six, seven, eight, ten people against what I'm saying. If I believe it's going to be the thing that's going to move the workplace forward in a positive way, I will stand by that no matter what. And I guess I get that bravery. From the fact that I do strongly believe that the truth always prevails. I do strongly believe that ethics overshine the bad. And therefore you need that one person who's going to be the voice of reason and talk about it. And because of that, I'm not afraid. And it's one of those things that I always say to people. I was raised by people that were not afraid at a time where they should have been afraid. And they were able to survive despite and given me a reason to believe that if you stand for the truth, even if the truth kills you, ultimately you will win even if you win beyond the grave. And that's why I'm not afraid.

SPEAKER_02: 28:26

But I think, you know, in full agreement with that, the win is not sometimes the tangible validation and the tangible vindication for standing for the truth. The win is in the honoring of the self and not betraying the self. So true. That is the win because, you know, we can only... you know, can only walk with you so far. And if they stop walking with you at the point of the truth, if you are still walking with you, because what is the point of... Exactly. Because you want to associate with whatever has been shaped into a form of truth, but it's causing harm, it's causing destruction, it's, you know, bringing... dis-ease into other people's lives.

SPEAKER_01: 29:18

Ultimately, you have to look at yourself in the mirror. When everything is gone, when all the bells and buzzes are gone, when the crowds are gone and the cheering is gone, you are left with you. Your core. And you have to look at yourself in the mirror and be proud of what you see. And that is why for me, again, speaking about being unshakable, I am constantly thinking about when all else is gone and I'm left with the core of who I am, will I be able to look in the mirror and say, you've done well, girl? And if the answer says no, that tells me what I need to do. If the answer says yes, It also tells me what I need to do. So my acid test in everything that I do, as you were saying, is one, how will I feel about it? When everyone is gone and all the crowds are gone and all the cheering is gone and everything else is gone,

SPEAKER_00: 30:25

will

SPEAKER_01: 30:26

I be able to sit and face myself and say, I'm proud of what you've done and who you've become?

UNKNOWN: 30:35

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01: 30:37

Again, I go back to what I said earlier. I live in a context of other things. So I'm a wife. I'm a mother. I'm a daughter. I'm a sister. I'm a friend. I then also say, aside from looking at myself and saying, is this what I would be proud of? I think of Liano. I think of Nkosinati. And I say, 20, 30, 40 years down the line, when they read about their mother, what do I want them to read? When they think about the things that their mom has done, are they going to be proud? When they think about the impact that I've had is that going to open doors for them? Because it's true what they say. The sins of the mom, of the parents, are carried by the kids. And what I do today is going to have an impact on Uliana Nungosnad. It's also going to have an impact on the children. And do I really, really want to leave them with things that when people say, then the doors close. Yep. Because of the things that I've done.

SPEAKER_02: 32:20

Yep.

SPEAKER_01: 32:21

That for me keeps me awake. And it's one of those things that makes me want to behave the way that I do.

SPEAKER_02: 32:27

Very true, you know, without launching into a long history about my grandmother, and I think I've been heard so many times going on and on and on about Umasangwe. And, you know, at some point, I'll also share about my mother, because, you know, as you get older, you realize when you meet someone, yourself as a woman and then because when you're 20s when you're in your 30s yes you're a woman but you're a different kind of woman that you are when you're in your 40s and in your 50s and then you meet your mother as a woman because when you're in your late 30s early 40s going into your 50s you start facing the decisions or the contexts that your mother faced because when you are in your you can't remember the decisions that your mother made not really when she was 25 and you were 5 or when she was 30 and you were 5 you remember more like in your you know pubescent years teenage years as you're going into early adulthood when you're still like out in gaming you know like I love it in my 2000s call me when you're 40 something call me you know the life takes on An ebb and flow. And so when you meet your mother and you are now have fully come into your essence as a woman and you can understand some of the things that before you were like, I wonder how she did that. I wonder why she did that. I wonder how she came to do that. So that would be a separate conversation. But my grandmother today is I walk as Umzugu Luga Masangwen. And it is so important because also what it then does, it places a moral duty for me. And I'm sure your sons will carry this as well. Obviously, they're still going to go through their own teenage years and their own 20-something years. And, you know, they learn, they fumble, they learn as children will do. But then there are things that you clearly will not do because au funuk moshi kama. Because, you know, it is such a deviation and even Even in the... chapters how you've outlined your book they clearly follow I was like you know people will meet the essence of you when just from the table of contents because you start on forgiveness and you carry on you go on to responsibility you go on to courage bravery you end it with selflessness and each of those chapters is a reflection on each of those themes but because it's a reflection they bring out the essence of who Utuli is But you are meeting in this. And you speak again about your mom. And I was looking at this and I was thinking. And I'm thinking, how did they do it? 14 people. But on a nightly basis, and I looked at it because when you arrived, and even in the... dedications in your book you say all my children and now you've got two sons and you walked in here and I haven't seen your boys in what in 10 years

SPEAKER_00: 36:46

I

SPEAKER_02: 36:47

only see them in pictures but I haven't seen them live in 10 years and that's another story and I immediately thought it was one of your sons and that's how you introduced him but it's one of your siblings children and that is your mother's approach again as you reflect on in the book yeah

SPEAKER_01: 37:08

You know, like you say, there were 14 of us. But at any given point in time, we had cousins living with us. We had strangers who would walk from the streets. But this side, we would say, they stay and they become our siblings. And I honestly, honestly attribute all of that to my mom. Yes, but my dad was a typical provider. So he'll be at work. And my mom had to carry the entire weight of all 14 of us. Six of his own kids and the others that came to live with us. And I guess as I was growing up, there is something that probably it instilled in me when I was watching it. And I'm only now starting to understand why my mom did it. She was doing it because it's a thankless job. All of us know that. But for her, it wasn't about praises. It was about impact. and she did it because she knew it had impact she did it because she knew the child is going to go back as a keeper so small ripple effects that have a massive impact in the world. She did that because she knew that is what this thing was about. And because she knew of its impact, it went beyond the thank you that she gets, as in a physical thank you. But the thank you that she was getting was, for instance, who would not have had that opportunity had it not been the fact that Upapsi then was given that opportunity. You changed the trajectory of their history. You changed the trajectory of their history. Just by that intersection you do, you change. That's the thanks that she was looking for.

SPEAKER_02: 40:12

You at least give them the choice. You give them, yeah. You at least give them the choice because, you know, some people

SPEAKER_01: 40:18

they don't

SPEAKER_02: 40:20

use that but the fact that you've given them a choice the ability to the ability I mean that's one of the stories that you talk about in the book when you talk about the story of Dennis and it saddened me when you talk about how his sisters turned out and I'm not going to delve too much into the book itself because I want people to actually go read the book and I don't want to give too much away but it also was testament and how he had to forgive his mother because And you can imagine where... you've got that pain and you're associated with your mother and you look at your life and you say, my life would have turned out differently if my mother. We don't know what his mom was going through, what led her to that. We just know that when she was a mother, because that's another thing. There are things that motherhood will force you to realign. There are some hard decisions that you make. And then you say, okay, I'm a mother now. I can't make a decision. As a mother, what decision do I make? And so that's what touched me about the story of Dennis. And you talk about it again later in the book in relation to your husband, Ernest, when you say we tend to look at these things as handouts and we've made handouts such a bad word. And Incidentally, we were doing an interview with Milton Shaw

SPEAKER_00: 41:48

and

SPEAKER_02: 41:50

he was telling his story about how he got out of addiction, out of drug addiction. And he was talking about how he hasn't raised his son. His son has been raised by drugs. His stepfather, I mean, I'm using that term, but that's not how he refers to the man who married the mother of his child because they've got such a good relationship. His son is 23 and Milton has spent the last 20 Christmases with them because they're his family. And he was saying for him. He lives in moments of grace. And one of his greatest moments of grace was when the mother of his child chose this man for a husband. Because he gave him, not just the son, he gave him a family. People that he watches rugby with, he goes to school meetings with, he has Christmas with them. And I look at that moment of grace for Ernest, going to UCT, going to work at that FMCG company, meeting you. One moment!

UNKNOWN: 42:47

Yes!

SPEAKER_02: 42:47

Literally. And, you know, when people sit with your application forms, when people sit with an evaluation of you, they're yes. When people listen, I don't know if you've listened to the story of Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and how the decision by the owners of the store changed the trajectory of his entire life. And it is your yes and your no that can change somebody's entire life. It's about how you reflect on the decisions made by others, the decisions made by your mother in terms of helping other people, the decisions made by your father and how he raised you, the decisions of corporates and giving bursaries and helping students, the decisions of people that are employed in higher positions to mentor others. The decisions that we make daily as mothers and how it's these little decisions and sometimes big that can change and that's why it is a blueprint for social change in South Africa because it is about how we approach the decisions.

SPEAKER_01: 43:44

Yeah, exactly. For me, you know, I said you asked earlier on where I got the time to write the book.

UNKNOWN: 43:54

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01: 43:56

The title is very, very descriptive, Reflections. It's a compilation of the reflections that I've been doing over time. I probably started writing these reflections at high school. I get very inspired by things and I then sit and I reflect on them and I say, what do they mean in humanity? So it's been a compilation of these reflections. Everywhere you see, there's always a folder, whether it's a diary or a folder in a laptop. And I used to call these reflections when my heart pours. Because I would pour everything I see into this page to say, this person did this. Look at the impact it's had on others. And then one day, my sister Katie... I saw these folders in every single thing that I had. And she was like, you always have this folder that says reflections when my heart pulls. Why don't you do something about it? Because the stories, the things you reflect on are such profound things that could make an impact. Why don't you do something about that? And I sat on this and I eventually last year decided, you know what? I think the time is right now. And the reason why I felt the time was right is that South Africa at that time was at a transition. We were getting into the elections and we were about to vote. And a lot of us were equating the vote last year to the first vote we had in 1994 in terms of, the change and the impact and the implications that that vote had. And for me, I just felt this was the right time for the book to now surface at a time where South Africans are really reflecting on leadership, at the time when South Africans are really reflecting on the impact they have as individuals. For the first time, we were starting to hear people saying, what can I do? Because I'm realizing that I can't rely on the government. I can't rely on the private sector. I can't rely on businesses. I can rely on myself to make a difference. And this book, basically, and the reflections were basically on ordinary citizens of South Africa who were making a difference. And because of that timing, I then felt it was the right time for the book to land. And it was the right time for the message of the book to get out there.

SPEAKER_02: 46:52

And this is what you say in the book. You say, lives if we just allow for these things to happen. And that's the constant theme throughout your book. And this caught me at the very beginning of the book. I think the ones we have been waiting for have long since arrived. They've been waiting on us. Explain that one.

SPEAKER_01: 47:43

You know, non-label, they are so powerful. many people in South Africa that are doing amazing things in their small little places. Seemingly small. Yeah. Because small is relative, right? Yeah. These are not the people that are written about on Google. These are not the people that will make their names written in history books. These are ordinary citizens on the ground who have been doing things and making a difference. But because they didn't have the means to do so, they were not known. So part of the reason why I then started the book like that was to say, actually, South Africans have people that are wanting to make a difference. South Africa has people that are doing brilliant things, amazing human beings making a difference in their small spaces, it's time that their voices are heard and that we start shutting down the negativity that we hear everywhere about what is going wrong and what is not happening when I have met these people that are making a difference. So I wanted to make sure that their voice gets heard. even if it means through the book that I'm writing. And even if it means that I go out, when I start launching the book and doing the book tours, I start bringing them to life so that people understand that even you, in your small corner, where you think you might not have an impact, you actually have a role to play. Because it doesn't have to be money. It doesn't have to be a smile, like I said, makes a difference. Greeting someone and acknowledging their presence makes a difference. Saying to someone, I see you and you count makes a difference. It doesn't have to be us doing big things like giving money, et cetera, et cetera. So this book, then I wondered, that's why I started it this way, because what we think doesn't impact is actually the very thing that causes positive ripples and that needs to be heard.

SPEAKER_02: 50:07

But you know, other than people who feel that Let me put it this way. Other than people reading this book and feeling what they could do, I wish we all read it with an understanding of all the little things that people do for us. Because there is someone that you're always excited to see at work simply because they're always so nice. And they immediately brighten your day. Exactly. Yes, it's important for us to read the book and recognize what we could do, but I think also we could reverse image search it in a way and look at it as in, oh my goodness, that is a small thing that someone has done for me. That is a small thing that I look forward to. That is a small thing that I appreciate. As something as small as your daughter making you a cup of tea when you get home, as something as small as, you know, somebody bringing you slippers at the end of the day, it's easy to lose sight of how significant that is because they're just taking away that little thing that you need to do for yourself and just adding a little bit of comfort. That person who will put a cone for you for parking, that colleague that will put a cone for parking if you don't have allocated parking so that you at least have a parking space in the morning. That little thing. And it's those little things that I hope we can read the book and we can appreciate that others do for us because it's very easy especially if it's your child, especially if it's your parent, especially if it's your friend, especially... And we save the thank yous for grand occasions. And these little acts of selfless love and these little acts of just making your life a little bit softer, a little bit softer. And I love how you put it, where you say... My mother's story serves as a reminder that the job of love, despite its lack of recognition, is the most transformative and influential task one can undertake. It proves that the empowering nature of selfless love lies in its ability to shatter barriers that separate us. It is in giving love selflessly without expecting anything in return that we find fulfillment and purpose. The thankless job of love can move minds We need this in South Africa. My mother's story also reminds us, and I love this, I absolutely love this, that selfless love is not a weak act. Instead, it holds immeasurable strength and power. It empowers us to transcend our own limitations and connect with the innate beauty and potential in others. It challenges us to rise above our self-centered desires to see the world through a lens of empathy and most importantly, take action. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01: 53:18

That's it. And honestly, that is why I was very deliberate when I chose the stories that I was going to reflect there, that I was speaking of people that others can relate to. Because we tend to think that, no, it can't be done because, oh, then they are able to. And I'm saying, no, it's the little acts that make a difference. And If it is to be, it's up to you. And that we need to, as South Africans, to start thinking beyond the self gain into thinking, what can I do to help others? Because in helping others, I gain. And that's what people don't understand. Yes. That's what people don't understand that self There is a gain and it might not necessarily be a monetary gain. Spiritually, I'm not the richest of people. But spiritually, I always say to people, I'm the richest woman.

SPEAKER_02: 54:32

And you are healthy. You are just a healthy person to be around.

SPEAKER_01: 54:36

And it's thinking beyond yourself into the impact you have. I want 100 years from now, if God grants me a miracle of coming back, I come back to a South Africa that still works. I come back to a South Africa that has people that have a conscience. I come back to a South Africa that has people that are unshakable in their belief in the truth.

UNKNOWN: 55:10

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01: 55:11

And this book for me is a step towards that direction to say, you have it in you. Something has happened to take away the spirit of Ubuntu that permeated in Africa, in South Africa. And because of that, this is where we are finding ourselves. So we need to come back. And that is about saying, come back to the very core that made you beautiful as a human race. We were a poster child of forgiveness as South Africans. We can still do that. We're a poster child of everything that's good. When people spoke about positive things that were happening when I was growing up in the 80s. People spoke about the unique thing about us that was Ubuntu. And we've lost it. And this book is saying, let's regain those values that made us who we are as humans. And in regaining those values, we will then unleash the greatest potential that this country has. And that is a potential of being the poster country in the world when it comes to issues of ethics, when it comes to issues of growth, when it comes to issues of prosperity. The reason I strongly believe why we are not growing as a country is because there is basics that we've forgotten. Yes. And because we've forgotten those basics, we are no longer able to think beyond ourselves and our self-gains. And because we are no longer thinking beyond ourselves, we are no longer willing to put things that will enable this country to grow. Some of the people died to get to where we are because they understood what legacy they were leaving behind and what they were working towards, a South Africa that works for all of us. And because we have lost that, we can't grow. And this is a plea for me to South Africans to say, without going back to the basics of Ubuntu, where I am because of others, where my gain is another person's gain, we are not going to move forward.

SPEAKER_02: 57:54

Tulsele Galilegile, author of Reflections, A Blueprint for Social Change in South Africa.

SPEAKER_01: 58:01

Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02: 58:04

And thank you for listening to this episode of the podcast. Remember, you can like, rate and share this podcast on the channel you're listening on.