My Very Brief Autobiography!
- Name: Steven Letsatsi
- Place of Birth: Soweto, Johannesburg
- Tertiary institution: Wits University
- Present residence: Cape Town
- Hobbies: Travelling, music, reading, writing and watching sport
I was born in Soweto, where I spent most of my childhood. I grew up in the township during some of the most turbulent years in our country’s history. The problems besetting South Africa in the 80’s and 90’s have been well-documented and do not need repeating. Suffice is to say that opportunities were limited, and funding our studies was not easy. However, I am glad to say that most of my classmates managed to get decent grades in high school.
After matric I studied politics and law at Wits University. However, I do not consider myself an expert in political discourse - in fact, I often find some of the political problems afflicting the continent quiet disheartening, to say the least. But I am convinced that our country is on the right course, because all the fundamentals are in place: a Bill of Rights, a first-class Constitution, etc. I am optimistic about the future of our country.
After completing my law degree I was not able to get a decent job in Johannesburg. I then decided to look elsewhere and ended up taking employment in Cape Town. At first I found the transition to this place very difficult, as it is very different from Johannesburg: the culture is different and everything seems to cost twice as much! But ultimately I settled in, and things are no longer as bleak as they seemed initially.
My hobbies and interests? Well, I enjoy many different things: writing, reading newspapers, magazines and the occasional novel, to keep abreast of developments. I must admit that I don’t read nearly as much as I used to. You could say that I have been spoiled by technology: many good books have been made into movies and, I know my teachers would kill me if they heard me say this, but watching some of these movies is almost as good as wading through those thick novels!
In addition to that, I enjoy watching sport – I am too lazy to participate myself! I am an Orlando Pirates supporter, even though I no longer attend matches as often as I used to. I, of course, also watch other teams play, more especially the "Soweto" giants (with Soweto hyphenated because these teams now have followers throughout the country). I also enjoy other sports, eg athletics, cricket, tennis, etc.
As for performing arts, earlier on in my life I took a great interest in them, so much so that I even toyed with the idea of studying music at FUBA. But it didn't go that far! I used to go to the Market Theatre whenever I could. In fact, the entire Newtown Cultural Precinct was the place to be. There was always something new at the Flea Market. Here in Cape Town I hanged out at the Baxter, but then moved to another part of the city, so the attendance became less and less frequent.
I also enjoy travelling. I regularly travel between Johannesburg and Cape Town, for obvious reasons. I have also visited Durban and Bloemfontein/Mangaung, as well as smaller towns like Ermelo, Polokwane, Rustenburg, Lichtenburg, East London, Bhisho, etc. In addition, I have been to Atlanta, Cincinnatti and New York in the USA; Toronto and Edmonton in Canada; Brussels in Belgium; and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. I hope to visit other countries in the future, if all goes well.
