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Mkhululi Ncube, Showbiz Reporter
Life experiences can make or break a person, but for Nonduduzo Ncube who was married at a young age, hers have given birth to a writing passion with her first novel, Umhlaba Ungihlanekele, now available on the market.

Ncube, a 30-year-old businesswoman says other than telling her story, she is on a drive to increase the number of Ndebele novelists after being inspired by top author, Barbara Makhalisa.

“The book is about my personal experience. It’s not a biography though because I’ve added some elements of fiction in it. I went through a lot in my marriage so the greater part of the book is content of what happened to me – a portrayal of how I’ve lived my life,” she said.

“I was married at a young age when I wasn’t mature enough to envision other key things that could affect me in future. When you’re young, you make hasty decisions without thinking things through, exposing oneself.

“All I can say is that at 30 years, I’ve been through a lot and my experiences are captured in the book,” said Ncube with a smile.

A former student of Nkulumane Primary and Mpopoma High schools, the author says the book seeks to address difficult life issues like why abused people stay in relationships and tackling depression as a serious mental challenge.

She says she penned her work in the Ndebele language as she wanted to contribute to the Ndebele literature, which is limited locally.

“We have very limited literature in Ndebele in terms of novels and other stuff compared to, say Shona literature. We need to tell stories in our own languages as we cannot all be writing in English.

“I love the Ndebele language hence my wish to promote it through my books,” Ncube said.

Had it not been for what she went through in her marriage, the budding author said she doubts she would have taken interest in writing.

“For you to be a good storyteller, you must have emotions. You must have some attachment with your stories, even if it’s not your experience, you can visualise someone going through a situation. This then sparks some certain interest in you. I think that’s how one writes a story,” said the author.

As an upcoming writer, Ncube said economic challenges can be a huge setback to achieving one’s dream. She also highlighted the lack of appreciation for Ndebele literature among locals as a huge cause for concern.

She said:“Getting funds to publish your book and making sure that it’s a professional product is a serious challenge. Also, many people don’t appreciate Ndebele novels and some will tell you that if only it was in English, I would have bought it, which is very discouraging.”

She however said the culture of reading is not dead yet as many people still want to read though the majority now prefer electronic books (e-books).

“Through promoting my book, I’ve noticed that people prefer e-books. There are some who still prefer hard copies, but I’ve realised that e-books are gaining popularity and actually sell way better than hard copies,” said the Beitbridge-born author.

The author also bemoaned lack of support from local book retailers who shun local authors. As such, she said she is personally marketing and selling her book.

“When it comes to this industry of writing, you find that retailers will tell you that they do not take local books without any valid reasons. This is demoralising, but because I’m determined, I’m personally distributing my books with the help of social media,” she said.

The mother of two said she is already working on her second book which will published in the near future. – @themkhust_ncube