Roaring Rorisang Soaring with Her Riveting Book

Media personality Rorisang Thandekiso has emerged as one of Mzansi’s shining stars on the Christian circuit, and her latest book offers insight into the times, trials, and triumphs of this multitalented trailblazer.

Rori, as she is fondly known, commands a large following, both young and old, who eagerly engage with her on social media, where she regularly breaks bread by discussing and dissecting scriptures. She is arguably the poster girl for Christianity in the country.

Impressively, in her recently released book, Disciple: Walking with God, co-authored with Nkhensani Manabe, Rorisang resists the temptation of casting herself as a perfect Christian. She avoids the common tendency of many Christian writers to bombard readers with scriptures while shying away from tackling pertinent issues and confronting themselves.

The TV presenter’s memoir provides a candid account of a life journey riddled with flaws, fears, and frailties, amidst beauty and splendor laced with grace and favor from above. Most voracious readers want the story behind the clips, captions, rifts, and opinions already on the writer’s timelines. Rorisang doesn’t disappoint, as she bares it all. From her curious case of virginity, the dribbles of mjolo, compassion, demanding work, friendships, family dynamics, fame, ministry, grief, and battles with mental health, Rorisang sheds light on areas some might approach with caution or reluctance.

There are lessons galore in her book. Readers can learn how to raise talented kids, the value of unity in family, the importance of having a loving and compassionate parent, the relentless pursuit of excellence, work ethic, authenticity, the power of prayer, standing for one’s beliefs, managing money, navigating fame, handling bullies, self-examination, and dealing with ordeals and vulnerabilities. 

The brains behind “Jesus This, Jesus That” confronts a few things she is not comfortable with. She laments that those who have put her on a pedestal, due to her fame, sometimes deprive her of the opportunity to worship freely without the stares of fellow worshippers in church.

“One of the obstacles I’ve experienced is being recognized as a ‘famous somebody’ in church. What I want from the church is to feel at home and to be in fellowship with other believers. I have struggled to find a church where I can be myself. There have been times when people tried to make me part of the leadership structure within weeks of knowing me. Where is the discipleship in that?” Rorisang wrote.

Rorisang’s virginity has been a source of curiosity. (Confession: The first chapter I read was “Let’s Talk About the Virginity Thing.”) It has garnered her admirers and detractors alike, subjecting her to both delight and discomfort.

“The way people latched onto it, turning it and me into trending topics, showed me that there are people who want guidance in that area of faith. But it also showed me that there are people who spend all their time looking for someone to berate and break down,” she penned.

Her book also addresses how she got “dribbled” in mjolo. She shares wisdom about dating and offers a perspective on marriage, one of the sacred cows in Christendom.

“In dating, I don’t prioritize marriage. In the past, when people have parted ways and come back asking for another chance, claiming to want marriage, I’ve not been moved. To me, it seemed that the men were using marriage as a bargaining chip, believing that making a promise would get me to lower my guard. But a false promise does not impress me because I know how serious marriage is. I don’t believe it is something that can be entered into lightly,” she opined.

Though her book is quite remarkable, it would have been interesting for her to delve deeper into her past relationships. She could perhaps be faulted for depriving readers of tabloid tidbits from her mjolo escapades. There’s also not much reflection on her relationship with her late father. In terms of writing technique, she doesn’t use much dialogue, but her compelling storytelling makes up for whatever might be missing. By and large, though, her inspirational book is a must-read