jesslevitt

When I was in school, I did not think my life would turn into anything worth mentioning. After matric, I had made peace with the idea of working as a cashier at the local Edgars in East London on Oxford Street. (They never called me back after I dropped off my CV. So Milky Lane was next.) My mother, of course, had bigger dreams for me than I had for myself. But that’s a story for another day. Why did I think life would just drift into nothingness? Well, throughout most of school, I only had one badge on my blazer. My name. Eventually, I got a second one. Library Monitor (It's that black badge on blazer). I would look at the kids whose blazers were heavy with honours and colours as if they came from another world. I assumed their futures were sorted and mine was not. But life had other plans. I found my way into advertising. I won the first Gold Cannes Lion awarded to a black South African, along with Ntsikelelo Nukwa. Then came the Gold Eagle. Then the elusive Black Eagle, which hadn’t been awarded in over a decade. More Cannes Lions followed. One Shows. Loeries. Other awards too. Eventually, I started writing and one of my books was even shortlisted for the Alan Paton Prize. Sometimes you'll think it's a mistake. That you're an imposter. You don't belong. Other times other people may think you don't deserve to be where you are. Doesn't matter. Keep at it. So here’s what I’ve learned: even if you have no idea where what you’re doing is taking you, keep doing it. Keep showing up. Keep learning. Life may take the long way around, but it gets you there. Some people are lucky, they’ve always known where they’re going. Some of us aren’t. But even when you don’t know, life sometimes finds a way to figure it out for you. Just don’t stop. What I am trying to say is this: be inspired by others, but only ever compete against yourself. You are not running their race. You’re running yours. You’re gonna be ok. Things always work out, not always the way you imagined, but they do work out. Most importantly, never forget where you come from, nor the long road it took to get you there. And take nothing for granted. One last thing. This may seem ironic considering the trophies, while accolades are great to have, there are things that are far more important. What really matters, no trophy can capture. Because what lasts is how you lived, who you lifted, your resilience, your humility, and whether you stayed true to yourself. Trophies gather dust. Character doesn’t.

In many ways, what we saw today was a reflection of South Africa in all its complexity, diversity and contradiction. President Ramaphosa did well to bring in a range of voices, it was a reminder that our national identity isn’t one single not, but a chorus of voices that make a choir. Yes, Ernie Els said a few things that raised my eyebrows, but he also made it clear: he is South African and he is not going anywhere. That in itself is important. Even if o don’t like some of the things he said. Initially I was uncomfortable by Zukiswa’s contribution, I’ll be honest. But the more she spoke, the more I was drawn and struck by her. The courage it takes to speak openly, in that room, about the rapes, the murders, and the everyday violence too many South Africans live with, and refused to sanitise the reality of the violence that many experience. That honesty, I suspect, disarmed many who were expecting rehearsed soundbites. I was also relieved that Trump did not give the floor to Elon or to Vance. That would have shifted the tone entirely. As it stands, I believe these talks are off to a promising start. There’s reason to be cautiously optimistic. 🇿🇦 🏉 ⛳️