Lerato Phakoe is a 19-year-old author, an educational activist, a philanthropist and a businesswoman.
She was born and bred in Hammanskraal, Pretoria and later relocated to Soshanguve.
Her passion for writing was unearthed at the age of 12. As young as she was, she used to write a lot about betrayal and overcoming the hardships of life.
In 2020 while she was doing her Grade 11, she published her first book titled ‘The kindness paid with pain’. Her young adult fictional book is about two-faced friends, it highlights the challenges faced by young people in their daily lives.
The book teaches us that sometimes storms come into our lives to clear the path, not all of them are out to destroy us.
It was motivated by life’s lessons, the fact that different people enter our lives for different reasons; she reiterated that we dislike people who try to destroy us, but we forget that they are the ones who build and bring out the best in us.
Sharing her knowledge and experiences with as many people as possible was her ultimate goal.
In 2021 she published her second book Titled ‘For the sake of living’. its emphasis is that the mystery of human existence lies in finding a purpose to live for, not just remaining alive.
The book is a poetic composition, knowing yourself as a person and knowing what you stand for are essential aspects of the book.
Lerato continues to draw inspiration from other authors who have successfully made it in the industry.
“I draw my inspiration from authors who have made it in the industry, as well as one of the top ten young authors in Africa, Michelle Nkamankeng.
She is so talented and has positively impacted the writing industry for young people and this is what I want
to do for the youth,” said Lerato.
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