Over the years, businesswoman, reality TV star and football boss, Dr Shauwn “Mamkhize” Mkhize, has grabbed the headlines with her lavish lifestyle and, in spite of all the controversies around her, she managed to stay at the top of her game.
Now, Mamkhize is changing the narrative as she tells her own story in the anticipated memoir, “My World, My Rules.”
While Mamhkize gives readers a fly-on-the-wall experience of her own colourful life, she also details her childhood traumas, which include the brutal assassination of her father, Sipho Mkhize, and the callous murder of her brother, Sbu Mkhize.
According to IOL News, Mamkhize’s father was killed, apparently for political reasons, allegedly by a policeman in 1991.
A year later, her brother, Sbu Mkhize, was killed in a shoot-out with police in Isipingo, Durban.
Mamkhize says the biggest challenge in writing her first memoir was confronting her dark past.
“The reason for me to start my Instagram page was for the people to get insights into who I am. There was a perception that was created by the media, and that encouraged me to want to tell my own story,” said Mamkhize.
“And that is the reason why I wrote the book because if you don't tell your story, you get misunderstood. “
The “Kwa Mam’ Mkhize” star revealed that writing the book had been helpful in her own healing.
“I wrote this book for my healing process. I wanted to heal because there are so many things that I've put in a certain corner, things that I’ve blocked because they were so painful to me.
“And sometimes, if you want to move on to a certain stage, you need to take the past and put it where it belongs.
“For a long time, I never wanted to talk about my dad, how my dad was assassinated, how my brother was killed. I decided to keep it in a very dark spot because it was painful.
“And these are some of the emotional things that I went through, but now I’m at a place where I’m comfortable talking about them.”
In the book, Mamkhize dispels myths that she grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth.
“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.”
Mamkhize also speaks about losing her home and staying in a shelter.
“People look at me and think life is always great, but I always tell them I have fallen many times, but each time I fall, I dust myself and move on. Giving up was never an option for me.
“If there’s one thing I would like the reader to take away from the book is that nothing is impossible in life.
“If you read my book, you’ll understand where I come from, and if you look at where I am today, you will understand that it hasn’t always been easy. I went through many challenges, but I’m here to tell my story.
“I want everybody to understand that Mamkhize is not made by what she had or owns. If I wake up one day and I have nothing, I would still be the same because whatever I have doesn't identify or make me who I am. And if this book inspires, just one person, then my job is done here.”
“My World My Rules” is available from Exclusive Books stores and online platforms.