FunDza interviewed 10 Fantastic FunDza Fanz! Meet Precious…

Much like the life cycle of a butterfly, Precious Thathane is someone who has rebooted and reinvented herself through life. Now back at home in rural Limpopo, Precious has made the most of the time that lockdown has allowed her to rethink her next steps in life – powered by a reignited passion for reading and writing.

From the cocoon to the butterfly

Aged eighteen, Precious – now 23 – made the brave move from rural Limpopo to the bright lights of Johannesburg. This was a big change: she had grown up in a small village and had always been a shy child. She recalls how, in primary school, other children enrolled in creative writing and performance competitions. “I remember I always watched as the others prepared to go and perform – and I would wish I could be one of those people,” she reflects.

Once at high school, Precious decided to reinvent herself. “I think at that point in my life I got the courage because I was in a new place … I didn’t know the next person and they didn’t know me either.” Precious started to perform and write creatively. But the stress and pressures of matric crushed her creative streak. “I transitioned into something else … I stopped seeing myself on stage. I found everything to be so stressful to a point where I stopped doing everything.” 

Later that year, Precious got on a bus to the bright lights of Johannesburg, having enrolled on a healthcare course.

Transitions to the city – and missing home

“[As kids], we wanted to see the city. We wanted the freedom that people said it came with,” recalls Precious. But the city proved too much. Walking down the streets of Braamfontein, Precious remembers how there were “people everywhere, cars driving everywhere. I found the big buildings not homely”. 

Home was calling. After completing her healthcare course, Precious returned to her family home in the village. 

The pandemic and the pen

Once back at home, the Covid-19 pandemic hit South Africa. Faced with a strict national lockdown, Precious was nervous. “We were confused as to what the world was coming to,” she recalls. Scrolling on social media, Precious found the FunDza app – and it pushed her to a “different mental space”.

“It took away whatever anxiety I might have heard about the pandemic,” she explains. “The news is statistics of bad news. [Reading] gave me an opportunity to cloud out the anxiety of the pandemic – I had some sort of refuge.” 

Preparing for flight again

The pandemic gave Precious an “opportunity to just sit and reboot. I remembered I had been a young girl full of dreams, full of hopes.” Reinspired by reading, Precious began to write again. “You are in a better place holistically,” she says, “because when you are expressing yourself you are letting out whatever that might be inside you.” 

Reflection and writing has led Precious to reinvent herself once again. She is now studying part-time and looking for work – which is proving to be tough in rural Limpopo. The courage that writing has reawoken in her is encouraging her to think outside the box.

The lights of Johannesburg are twinkling again. “I’ve just been contemplating if it would be a good idea to move again. It’s important to get out of your comfort zone, because life keeps moving and you can’t just be stagnant because you’re comfortable. You just have to try the uncomfortable sometimes.” The butterfly is preparing for flight once again.

We asked Precious:

Why do you like reading on FunDza? 
FunDza is very user friendly … It has all kinds of stories you may want to read; interesting, lovely stories …  I love the fact that they are written by ordinary people from all walks of life.

So there’s no discrimination whatsoever. 

When is your favourite reading time? 
Well I mostly read at night like when I’m done with every with all my commitments for the
day. [I’m] wrapping the day up and I’m like you know what? This is the end of the day. And then we’re just hoping for a better tomorrow. 

What’s your favourite thing to read on FunDza or what’s your the best story you’ve read on FunDza and why? 
I have read a lot of stories that I like. I’m not sure I have a favourite … But what I’ll say is I love reading like fictional stories … because like they just confirm to me that in this journey that we walk like we all go through some things. You know, something is always happening. But then what separates others from others is the will to go on till the end … The stories pretty much give me hope
.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time apart from reading on FunDza? 
I just recently decided that my legs are not only going to be for walking … This pandemic happening was bad news like in many aspects of life. But for me personally I’m grateful to it because it has given me an opportunity to just sit and reboot. To rethink life … in the slowness of things not happening, of things being closed down, I’ve chosen to appreciate life more. You know to try out things I thought I would never try … So I’ve decided want to do it. I want to experience music differently. To dance to it. 

To read about the nine other Fanastic FunDza Fanz, click here.

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