From the outside, it looked luxurious and it seemed to be everybody’s heart’s desire. Everyone spoke about the beauty of being a celebrity, but little did they know that it comes with a heavy price if you are not careful.
Thando was a beautiful young girl who had a dream of becoming a celebrity, and she was fortunate enough that her dream came true. It was unfortunate for her that she was not able to stay long in the media industry.
Thando grew up in the rural area where she was raised and braided by her grandmother. She was a very respectful, cheerful and humble child. Everyone in their community loved her so much and wished that their children were like her. Thando loved school; she was not really academically gifted, but she was very good in the arts. She participated in the drama and music groups in school and she was recognised as one of the best students in arts. She thought to herself that she should pursue a career on the stage and/or as a music producer.
Thando managed to complete her matric with fair marks, but she was not able to continue to the university because her grandmother did not have enough money for her to further her studies. Shortly after Thando finished school, her grandmother became ill and did not get treated, so she eventually died. It was really sad because Thando had no one to look after her. She had to go to the city to look for a job which would enable her to look after herself.
Thando travelled to Johannesburg, also known as the City of Gold. She did not know anyone in the city so she had to sleep in a public toilet for the night. When Thando woke up, she decided to wander around the city so that she could find a job. She was very lucky because as she was walking, she met a music producer by the name of Mfundi Mvundla who spotted her from a distance and liked her.
Mfundi Mvundla took Thando in as his own sister. Thando told Mfundi about how much she wanted to be an actress or a music producer. Mfundi told Thando that she could be both if she wanted to and he promised to help her get into the media industry. As time went on, Thando rehearsed with Mfundi and she became perfect. Thando released her first production and starred in the best-selling movie in South Africa, and these events opened doors for her. Thando’s perfect work attracted a lot of musicians that wanted her to be their producer, thus she had multiple contracts and made millions of Rand.
Thando got overwhelmed by her success and her personality changed. The beautiful respectful girl that everyone knew disappeared. She mixed with the wrong people in media who made her forget where she came from and who she was. She started treating people that were below her like trash. It seemed that the fame and money provoked the devil that hid behind the angel that she was. All she ever did was party. She became addicted to drugs and alcohol and because of these substances, she squandered all her money. Thando’s life took a million steps back, and it was even worse than where she started.
I guess it is really true that not everything that glitters is gold, and not everyone is fit enough to be a celebrity because it either comes with a good or bad price. Too bad for Thando it came with a heavy price.