1. Born inMohlaletse (Sekhukhune) LimpopoProvince,KgalagadisheNicholasMashabelaisthe 6thchildin
a familyof sevenchildren.Hisparents,Moleke andMabiletse Mashabela marriedin1958, bothdidnot
have formal education;therefore resultinginthemremainingunemployedformostpartof theirlives.
Like all otherpeasantsandlay-menof the world,Mashabelahadto endure hardshipformostpartof his
Upbringing.
“Ke gotše ke dišadikgomo,dipudile Ditonki”saidMashabela.Translated“Igrow-upshepherdingcattle,
goats anddonkeys”.The mostmemorable andhistorical momentwastosee some of the police vehicles
drivingaroundmylocation(Mohlaletse) inthe late 1980s lookingformembersof the socalled
‘Makhomoreiti’(comrademovementinSekhukhune).Amongstthese comradeswasmyownbrother
NelsonMphage Mashabelawhoishimself aloverof historyanda teacher.FromthismemoryItake
inspirationwhichislikearepeatedanecdote inmyvision.
In 1991, my parentsdecidedthatIwas now oldenoughto start school.Theythensendme to attend
primaryeducationinTshweele Primaryschool situatedthreekilometersfromhome. Irememberthe
goodfeelingIfeltwhenwe were firsttaughtaboutShakaZulu,Sekhukhune,Moshoeshoe,Martin
Lutherand listgoeson.By the time I wentto school,mybrotherhad alreadyqualifiedasa history
teacher.I can nowvividlyrememberstealingorborrowinghishistorybooksandwithout undersdanting
the content,I couldlookat the picturesinside themwithpassionandlove.Icouldnotreadthe content
of these booksbecause Ididnotunderstandorable to readEnglishthen,butI wasaware thatthere was
somethingof greatvalue andinteresttome inthisbooksthan the picturesIso adored.
The big chance and change came whenIwentto highschool (Phutakwe Secondary).Here Iredefined
and rediscoveredmylove forhistoryandgeography.MyteachersMr. Maiselaand Mr. Sekhukhune
(Justice) were ahuge influenceovermysuddenrediscoveryof mypassion.Theyhabituallygave me
opportunitytoteachotherlearnershistoryandgeography,whichIbelief itcementedmylove for
teaching.
Afterpassingmatricor (grade 12), I wentto Gauteng (Universityof Johannesburg)topursue acareer in
the fieldof political science;howeveraftertwomonthsof beinginJohannesburg,Irealizedthatmy
passionwasactuallyteaching.Same yearIcrossedand wentto Universityof Pretoria(UP) where I
enrolledmyselfinthe fieldof education(teaching).Bythistime,the universitydidnotallow ustostudy
bothhistoryand geography.Ithendecidedtotake geographywhichIstudiedonlyforfourmonths
before Ileftitfor history.
Before Ifinishedmydegree,IwenttoTsakane Secondaryschool situatedinSpringstoteachhistoryand
geography.In2012 I wentback to Pretoria,specificallytoJ.KekanaSecondaryschool ( inMamelodi) to

2. teachhistory,a subjectIhave alwaysbeenin love with.CurrentlyIamteachingsocial sciencesin
MafumbukaPrimarySchool while studyingparttime withUNISA inthe fieldof law. WhenIwas
compilingthishistorybook;itfeltlike aDejavu,if notan anecdote.