Tumelo Moreri

On being comfortable in her own skin, leadership and her passion for Africa

The taste of the potato roast we shared over my interview with Tumelo Moreri still lingers in my mouth as I write this. It was nothing out of the ordinary. Just peeled potatoes drenched in store-bought sauce and baked in an oven until golden and crisp. However, the taste was exquisite. With every bite I felt like Jamie Oliver himself whisked that sauce from scratch and baked that dish specially for me. For those who know Tumie well, this will not come as a surprise. She has that innate ability to add magic to the most bland of things. With a full stomach and satisfied taste buds, I made myself comfortable on a revolver chair in her room. While adjusting the voice recorder I used for the interview and fussing over my notebook, I couldn’t help but panic. Tumie is a very dear friend of mine – has been for a few years now. The task I’d given myself to put my experience of her in a written word capsule made me sweat all of a sudden. How was I going to capture the essence of this eccentric and immensely gifted young woman and convey it to the world in a way that kept the core of who she is in tact? Not knowing where to start, I procrastinated for a long while until I realised that a portrayal of someone like her, who is a “what you see is what you get” type of character should start with how she presents herself to the world.

On your first encounter with her, you’re most likely to remember her smile. The way it connects harmoniously with her big eyes to light up her face. Then a quick and firm handshake will follow an intense look into your eyes as she introduces herself to you. In that moment, whether you’re conscious of it or not, you become relaxed and a slight surge of energy runs through you because this young woman who oozes of confidence has just acknowledged your existence and silently communicated to you that you matter. I have seen this play out so many times but it still strikes me each time I witness it. I have held small talks with total strangers whom she has introduced to me with so much enthusiasm like they go way back only to have her respond with “Nope, just met him/her a few hours ago” when I ask if that person is a relative of hers I should know of. She treasures every encounter she has with people and always wants to add value to them in any way she can. Her commitment to making a difference in the world is deeply rooted in her genuine love for people.

People matter to her. Especially the people of the African continent. Actually, the way she loves Africa, even the ants on the ground that she steps on by mistake would get a “proper” ritual send off if it were up to her. Tumie has a heart sold out for Africa. She loves this continent so much that a map of Africa neatly adorns the middle of her back readily announcing to the world that she intends to carry the

A tattoo of Africa adorns her back as a symbol of her commitment to this continent 

challenges of this continent on her back. Her vision of a thriving Africa is not just a slogan but a reality she’s already started living in. At public speaking engagements, she’s been known to readily launch a literacy and African renaissance campaign slyly even if the theme of the day is something as unrelated as “The appreciation of Ouma rusks and coffee”. Having recently been awarded the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship to pursue her master’s degree next year,  it’s clear that her academic excellence backs up her campaigns.

Tumie believes in striving to be in sync with your higher self and being the best ‘you’ you can be. She believes in engaging her spiritual self to pursue discipline and excellence. As a result, she’s one of the most highly disciplined people I know. The most visible area in her life where this principle has manifested is in her academics. She’s been a straight ‘A’ student throughout her academic career and has achieved what many only dream of. In her first year at university, she got distinctions in all her modules and continued to graduate with a B.Sc. Actuarial Science degree with distinction. That’s no small feat, but she quickly dismisses any form of praise when this is mentioned. Her humble nature simply won’t let her accept any form of praise based on her accolades and achievements. Rave about her warmth and good energy and see her  kwasa kwasa as she thanks you for it. Commend her on her selfless endeavours and see how her face lights up. That’s the kind of praise that boosts her and makes her want to achieve more.

So how is she able to maintain such humility and what keeps her so grounded? It’s really the people she surrounds herself with, such as myself who tell her to sit down when she blows her own horn…..hahahaha! (not really). However, for the sake of consistency and for the body of this piece to keep you hooked, we’ll attribute it to other factors such as her upbringing, beliefs and such.

“I’m a believer in all things good – celebrating life, joy, hope and growth”. She says growth is an integral part of her everyday experience as she intentionally wants it to be that way. “It’s a calm process [growth]. You believe in the process and let it go. Everything will fall into place. Just stay true to yourself and follow your bliss.” Tumie wasn’t always on this road to enlightenment. In 2009 when she first moved to South Africa from her home country of Botswana, she decided to be an ordinary student and not to trail blaze her way through academics and extra curricular activities as she was known to do. Her high school years in Botswana were characterized by over achieving in every aspect and she was tired of the pressure it put on her. So she made the choice to shrink her inner light to “fit in”. Add to that, the workload of the course she enrolled in, in 2010 and a very different Tumie came to being. Had I been asked to describe her back then “uptight”, “aloof” and “rude” were some of the words I would have used. She focused solely on her studies and neglected her creative side. While this paid off at the end of the year as she became a Golden Key member and achieved outstanding results, she wasn’t content. Her spirit  was suffering as one would expect. She lost her self-confidence and even started questioning the choices she was making towards her career.

Being a creative myself, I can imagine how soul hollowing abandoning that side of your being can be. (Actually, I’ve done it myself and I know it’s not a good space to be in). Tumie’s creativity is one of the first traits you’ll notice as you get to know her better. From the décor in her room, the way she dresses, to the way she brainstorms and puts her ideas across. It adds to her peculiar nature. She began tapping into her creative side in primary school when she started keeping a journal. Back then it was a “dear diary thing” as she puts it. However, it evolved over the years into a creative outlet that allows her to structure her thoughts and to reflect. Journaling is a spiritual exercise for her as she prays through her journals. She ponders over heavy questions and life-changing decisions through her writing. She believes God guides her through life this way. “I speak to God through my journals. I ask the most important questions through my writing. At the end of each journal entry the answers come to me. We have all the answers within ourselves. God gives them to us.” Journaling allows her to be a spectator in her life when she needs to be so she can critique it from an observer’s perspective. She attributes her preference to having few friends to this ( I guess I should count myself lucky then!).

Apart from helping her connect with God, journaling has helped her engage in self conversations. At this point in our interview, I get tempted to ask if she’s ever had a psychiatric analysis done before. I decide to bag this comment when she elaborates on this concept. I’d heard this before but the simplicity in which she applies this concept to herself gave me one of the most profound “aha” moments this year. “Self conversations are important. Build a relationship with yourself. You’re stuck with yourself – really get to know yourself. I do it. As a result, I enjoy my company very much.” I’m convinced one of the many sources of her confidence is her ability to “hang out” with herself. How many of us can truly lay claim to that statement?

Towards the end of 2010 Tumie wanted to revive the self-confidence she had lost and she wanted to embrace her true self. She started reading again and exploring her creative side. One of the books she read during this time which had a profound impact on her life and made her want to rekindle that light she’d decided to put out earlier was “The monk who sold his Ferrari” by Robin Sharma. “It was from this book that I learned of the value of running my own race; that competition is a myth. I learned to focus only on my goals and vision and not bother what the person next to me was up to. The only time I’d have to bother about what another person is up to is when I’m seeking inspiration or guidance. It taught me to be comfortable in my own skin and to present to the world only what is my authentic self. It taught me of self-mastery and that only I was the limit to my dreams.”

As a strong advocate for literacy and reading, we dwelled greatly on this subject and as usual, we found ourselves engaging in African issues pertaining to these.During her time as a University of the Free State student her interest in social justice has grown from the perimeters of her university campus to those of the world. In August 2012 she was elected as the International Affairs Officer in the Student Representative Council (SRC) where she served until August 2013.

The cornerstone of her personal definition of leadership is servanthood. Upon starting her term in office, she admits to thinking that her role was to serve and nothing else. While primarily this is true, she soon found out that her role represented more than that. Her perspective on a lot of things was shifted. Apart from sharpening her ability to be selfless, it most importantly instilled independent thought in her. “I used to learn by simply listening to people and replicating their ideas but now I listen and make my own conclusions.”

This new skill was put to the test earlier this year in June when she was selected to attend the G8 summit as the sherpa of the African Union (AU) youth delegation. As grateful as she was for the exposure it gave her and the incredible opportunity she got to interact with people from many different backgrounds, the experience has left her feeling somewhat daunted. “Coming face to face with the lack of genuine care and interest in Africa by developed countries – their leadership and citizens left me shattered. They constantly make decisions about Africa fuelled by self-interest and ignorance.” Needless to say, at this point, Tumie got fired up. Her genuine passion for the development of Africa consumed her to the point where her eyes welled up with tears. She’s generally a highly emotional person. Her fervor for justice to be served in Africa and for the development of this continent with all its emotional punctuation, is very contagious.

“I came back with my passion re-ignited. I got to appreciate Africa as a woman but developed countries treat her like a girl. Don’t they think she’s woman enough to decide her own fate? They’re breaking her down into little pieces then they exploit her. We need to take Africa to a place where she is self-sufficient, with no foreign hands on her.” Having started an NGO with a friend that tackles the challenge of inactive citizenry, she’s well on her way to contributing to Africa getting to that place. Clearly demonstrating that she walks the talk.

Look out for Part 2 of my interview with Tumie, where we go back in time to her childhood to see how this phenomenal woman was shaped into who she is today. We also highlight what the future holds for her.

Pictures by Hlumi

Contact: 076 165 9020

Bulletproof soul - Lerato Molisana