Johannesburg – From conquering boardrooms as a shrewd business tycoon to hogging headlines as a high-flying socialite, Shauwn “Mamkhize” Mkhize has captured the imaginations of South Africans.
She now sits comfortably at the top of the celebrity food chain as the owner of the top-flight soccer team Royal AM and continues to draw stares of admiration as an over-the-top reality TV star. Enter ‘My World My Rules‘, Mamkhize’s new memoir in which she tells all about her colourful life.
The book is a page-turner filled with intensity, unflinchingly honest, and engaging content to keep readers spellbound. Mamkhize celebrates the memoir as the “final chapter” and the start of a new era.
“It’s been my way of saying my peace, letting things go, healing my wounds, and saying my final words to my parents and my brother who are physically no longer with me. This marks a new dawn and beginning for me,” she says.
The memoir displays the dexterity with which she navigates modern life while striving to maintain the sense of tradition that keeps her grounded.
The larger-than-life personality is both loved and misunderstood, much like her father and brother.
While a combination of political and business acumen runs in her family, her cloistered yet privileged childhood was torn asunder by the assassination of her father and her brother’s subsequent quest for vengeance. She shares the details about this background in the memoir.
Her life story begins as a young accounting graduate who returns from an overseas experience and lands what seems to be a dream job with the multinational corporation that sponsored her training abroad. She bravely ventures into business when this soon dissolves into disappointment and a humiliating salary.
In ‘My World My Rules‘, Mamkhize dispels the urban legends about her wealth, family marriage and ensuing divorce. She reflects on the much-publicised story of her reinvention as Mamkhize, the soccer boss, and shares the lessons she has learned from the experiences that life has given her.
A woman with astounding agency, Mamkhize allows the reader a glimpse into her formative years and family life. She illuminates how these have shaped the woman she is today and manages to delight without spoiling her aura of mystique.
Mamkhize invites readers to learn more about her and her truth. “I hope people understand that I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth, like they think. I hope they learn more about my childhood. Nothing came easy for us. We went through a lot of trials and tribulations.
“I’ve worked extremely hard to be where I am today and I’ve never allowed my upbringing to dictate my future. I hope this book will inspire the young black girl to dream the impossible, to be driven, resilient and to never give up,” she says.
My World My Rules is published by African Perspectives and available from 26 April 2023 from Exclusive Books stores countrywide and online platforms.
*This article was first published by www.bullbrushes.com.
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