My name is Thulo Alfred Junior Motaung aka “King Of The South” and this is my short hustling story.
I am a 29 year old guy from Maseru, Lithabaneng; a BA Public Administration and Political Science Graduate. I went to the National University of Lesotho in 2006, graduating in 2010. Coming from a middle-class family that was struggling financially, my dream was to finish school in record time which I did; 7 years in Primary, 5 years in High School and 4 years at varsity. For me, being in varsity and getting the bursary money changed my life, it gave me a lot of hope. At this point as a young man you start dreaming, you start thinking life is going to be good from there onwards; you start thinking you will get a job after graduating and buy yourself a nice ride and have some good clothes; lè good life.
All this changed after I graduated, that graph that seemed to be going up when I went to varsity started quickly declining; all the financial independence went as I couldn’t find a job. It got as bad as me having to go back to asking my mother money for my ‘boxer shots’, one of the most embarrassing things for a guy my age. My 1st year after graduating was the hardest and I felt like such a looser; I felt like I wasn’t doing everything in my power to get a good job.
I then went to Rustenburg to visit my family, a change of scenery, just to clear my head. I came back home that December and my cousin Mito asked me to bring him something from back home when I went back there again. I was clueless because I knew I had to bring him something hip and fresh. I then saw someone wearing a miles ahead T-shirt in town and then it hit me, “Maybe I should get him this”. The following year when I went back to Rusty I bought two different shirts, one for him and one for my friend Piet. They loved them and thats when I realized that this could be my breakthrough.
Long story short, I started buying these t-shirts and selling them in Rusty; I created a market for myself and convinced people who aren’t even Basotho to buy them as they are hip and fresh, and they did. This is where my niggas started calling me “KING OF THE SOUTH because I was always representing my people and my heritage wherever I was without feeling ashamed of who I was despite how people tried to discourage me. I have been selling these tee’s for the past 6 years, it has been my way of life, they have supported my lifestyle. It’s not much but it kept me going because I started thinking of myself not as a hungry degree holder but as a HUSTLER.
All Im trying to say is that life was very unfair to me, I didn’t get the opportunities that I thought I would get but that never brought me down, I kept looking for the light, I kept on hoping and praying for better days, for God to give me the strength to keep pushing and bless my hustle. I learned the importance of family support, they are my biggest source of strength as well as my friends.
Most of all I learned that there are still women who believe in hustlers and dreamers like my woman. Dont give up African Child, life is full of hurt, pain, mystery and tests but never give up; good things come to those who hustle. When an opportunity presents itself, it won’t have the words opportunity on it, it’s all in the way you view things. Don’t try to do what everyone is doing, do what youre good at. I’m still waiting for my better days until then Im going to keep on hustling, Imma keep on being “Thee King.”
I hope this story will inspire someone out there, share it!