"Meet the man" Bandile Mathandela

In this post I seek to tell you about myself. I will try by all means to remain brief and to the point but won't make any promises as I want you to get to know me and what I stand for. If I feel emotion and tears flow down my face forgive me. It's been 1 hell of a ride for me, 1 I am truly grateful for as it has made me the man I am today. So fasten u seat belt, take a deep breath and let's dive in.

I was born on the 27th of March 1990 in a small rural town called Mount Fletcher. I fell very ill as a baby to the point that I spent the 1st 3 months of my life in a cubicle being fed through tubes. I can't even imagine what I put my mother through. I clearly was going to be alot of admin from early on. It is said that the Dr's advised the family to let me go as I wouldn't be able to develop fully as I grew older. I was not meant to be able to speak, walk and read. I thank God for the stubborn mother I have as she simply refused and just kept reiterating that she will love me regardless of how I am, and I'd like to mention that this she has done from that day til now. God bless her soul. Miraculously I made it and here I am today as a graduate of Wits in Accounting. The boy who wasn't meant to speak or read is now a graduate. How beautiful is God and life tho?

Moving on, takes a deep breath. I had a very abusive father who would smash my mother's head into the wall a couple of times a week. Now and then being the mothers boy I am I'd jump in and end up with a blue eye. We endured this for years til when I was 8 years old I woke up 1 morning and he was gone. Mixed emotions filled my heart for a number of years because it was good to see my mother laughing but I was a boy who needed a father. How did u survive?, most people ask me and my answer is always 1 word. SOCCER. God gave me the love of soccer to help me deal with everything. We struggled for a few years up until my mother met my stepdad (Dad) and few years later they got married. What a man.. This world needs more men like him. To this day he remains 1 of the closest people to me.

It is then that I moved to Johannesburg in pursuit of better schooling and life opportunities. I had never studied afrikaans in my entire life and all of a sudden English was a first language at school. Through determination I made it through primary school and then high school. Through the process we lost our home, found myself on the street,  made friends that r still close to me 2 this day and met my mentor. Mr Sidney James Frewen. It is through him that I travelled for the first time.
I was 17 years old when he took me to the states in Cleveland Ohio. 22 hour flight to Washington and a 6 hour drive to Cleveland. I was beyond excited. Amazed the beauty of America and how big everything was compared to home. I had only been in joburg for a mere 5 years so I wasn't used to this kind of life so for me to see Washington was a bit unreal. How great is God I remember thinking. I did so well that I got some scholarship offers. I couldn't accept them tho as my mother felt I was still 2 young to be alone in a foreign country. See told you I'm a mothers boy.

Anyway came back to SA and want to Wits University. And wits sure showed me flames. But somehow I made it through and I write this today as a BCom Accounting graduate. Something I say proudly and boldly as people who come from where I come from aren't meant to graduate. But here I am. God. Wow.

I've continued to travel more and see more over the years, of which I'll share with you with time. I've been to Turkey (Antalya), Dubai, Senegal (Dakar), Sweden (Stockholm and Orebro).

Currently I am in Michigan in a town called Muskegon.  I am here playing for a semi professional soccer team hoping to be spotted by an MLS team or a college team so as to complete my MBA.

I will continue to soar high and I will share as many pictures as I can with you all so you can see where my journey is taking me. Please comment, like and share what you like.