What does the word hero mean to you? The word hero to me means someone that has played an important role in your life and made you who you are today. Someone who is everything to you. The person who always has your back when you’re in trouble or when you don’t know what to do, you go to that person and come up with a solution together.

Who is your real-life hero? That’s easy. My hero is my mom. She’s been there for me through thick and thin since I was small. My dad passed away, I think when I was three years old, so my mom had to be there for me through everything; take me to school, teach me about life, and be my mom and be my dad at the same time. She did an amazing job.

Do you have a historical hero? I admire Nelson Mandela – our hero, because you know, if he didn’t fight for the freedom of people in South Africa, today we wouldn’t be able to have a good relationship with people of other cultures, or other skin colours. Today, life is easy in that way and I think that is because of him. South Africa is more peaceful today because of him.

What about a movie hero? Spider-Man, obviously. I love the saying that, “great power comes with great responsibility.”

Do you remember a time when you were a hero to someone else? There is a friend, he was my neighbour growing up and he was into drugs. We hung out together a lot when we were young, but around 18, he was hooked on bad drugs, like whoonga. He was abusing alchohol, too.

When I was with him I would tell him that this is not life and that once your parents get tired of you, you will have no where to go on this earth. He used to say, “I hear you, I hear you, I hear you.” But then five or eight years later he came to me and said, “Musa I heard your words. Today, I am what I am because of you.”  Now, I see the role I played in his story and I am proud of it. Today, he works as a nurse at Port Shepstone hospital. I’m proud.

Musa has worked with Thanda since 2015 as an After-school Facilitator of grades 8-10.

Want to support a truly heroic cause?

The Thanda Superheroes are a group of monthly donors who are fighting food insecurity, poor education, and unemployment – creating real and lasting change in rural South Africa. With these powers, they are building a world where everyone can be a hero in their own communities.

Join the fight today at www.thanda.org/monthly-superheroes/