Two things stand out from the author, carefully crafted book 'Anyone one can, I did'. Throughout the book he gravitates between two crucial topics: Anyone daring enough can succeed in a hostile environment; and that there is more than what meets the eye in the education system. Beyond the classrooms and the chalkboards, lies battlefields where cold wars are daily fought with men and women of integrity often caught between fire. It gets so nasty at times that honest individuals are driven out of their jobs against their will, at all cost. Dr Mothapo narrates with such precision dated events as life happened to him and to some of his colleagues who suffered the cutting blade of politics and unionism. In all this, his aim is to highlight how one could still swim through in infested unkind waters simply because 'where there is a will, there is always a way.' We are further introduced to four individuals who defied the odds of poverty and other challenges to ultimately realize their goals. This sharing of such experiences beautifully demonstrate how human spirit can rise up from the ashes like a phoenix. These are ordinary men and women who could have easily succumbed to defeat but today they are true compasses of hope, with their lives bearing testimony that 'anyone can.'
About the Author: Born and bred in the Senwabarwana area, Dr Ali Mothapo is a well-known motivational speaker and educationist in the Blouberg area and many other parts of Limpopo Province. He was, for a greater part of his work life, a highly successful School Principal in the Senwabarwana area for over eighteen years - between the years 1988 and 2006. He qualified to become a teacher through the old apartheid qualification of Primary Teachers Course. However, the guidance and motivation he got from the late Rev E Ramokgopa, his first Principal, assisted him to register and then pass BA, BED and HED with University of South Africa. He eventually passed MED and PhD with University of Pretoria. None of these degrees were ever done full time. In this book - "Anyone can succeed, I did" the Author detailed how things changed drastically when he became a Schools Inspector in the Department of Education in Limpopo Province. Talk about changing 'lemons to lemonade' situation because it was through these frustrations as well as successes with School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and Teachers Trade Unions that inspired him to put down this book. The Author aims to share with people who aspire to be leaders that although the road to success is often laced by thorns in the form of people, situations and at times, fear and doubt, they too can learn to find their way through by learning through his experiences and those of others that are mentioned here. Dr Mothapo - Ali - as he is affectionately known to his peers and folks, is also a born philanthropist who supports and assists vulnerable learners to achieve their academic aspirations. He has recently retired from his work and is currently in a process of registering a Foundation that will focus at giving motivation to adults, the youth and assisting financially needy children - all aimed at supporting the reduction of the scourge of poverty through education.