Meet the 18-year-old changing young lives across Africa

Youth motivational speaker, author and founder of the Future Global Leaders Club NPC, Bhaswelihle Zilwa (18), is on a mission to empower young people across Africa through self-belief, education and mentorship.

Born and raised in Midrand, Bhaswelihle, fondly known as Lihle went to Montessori for preschool, did primary school at Pinnacle College Kyalami and completed high school at Beaulieu College.

She is the lastborn of two daughters, and some of her fondest memories growing up involve finding ways to help others from a young age.

‘I remember saving money with the intention of donating it to an orphanage to provide breakfast for the children,’ she recalls. By the age of eight, she had already launched an initiative that provided educational materials such as timetables, charts and school uniforms, benefiting 594 learners.

‘Those experiences taught me that age should never be a limitation when it comes to making a difference.’ But there was also always time for friends and family, and she remembers how she enjoyed the time when she used to bake for family and friends.

A driving ambition

Her passion for helping others gave birth to her commitment to youth empowerment, which has grown over the years. At 13, Lihle founded the Future Global Leaders Club NPC, which rewards academic excellence and motivates high school learners.

The NPC came about when her focus and friends changed, pushing her in a new direction. ‘In my primary school years, my academic performance was very inconsistent. This continued until Grade Six when I got a new group of friends. We all had the same academic goals and motivated and encouraged one another.

‘Because of this, my academic performance became consistent. I finally got the certificate at the end of the year that I’d always wanted – one you only got if you had an average of 80% and above.

‘I realised that what helped me was the fact that I was surrounded by like-minded people, and wondered if other teenagers were facing the same problem? That is when I founded the Future Global Leaders Club, an NPC, open to membership to high school learners with an average of 70% above. I wanted to create a community that would motivate the members to be consistently consistent in their academic performance.’

Zilwa the author At 14, she published a motivational book for teenagers titled Lihle’s Collection of Motivational Quotes for Teens. Written by a teenager for teenagers, the book was published in English, French, Kiswahili and Braille to ensure wider accessibility and inclusivity across Africa.

Seeing how quotes helped her older sister, Liza, stay motivated and work hard from high school through to university where she graduated as a medical doctor, she started collecting quotes to keep her inspired.

‘In my free time, I’d be searching for motivational or inspirational quotes and by the end of 2021, I had collected over 300 quotes. These quotes were my source of motivation, which I wanted to share with other teenagers,’ explained Lihle.

Analysing her collection of quotes from successful people, she noticed that there were attributes that helped them pave their way to success.

‘I identified the 10 attributes and put them in order of importance, and that is how my Guide to Navigating Success was born. My guide has helped teenagers realise that they need to have integrity, be ambitious, have the courage to pursue their dreams and work hard.

‘They also need to have discipline, they must be able to sacrifice, to persevere when things get tough and constantly present an image of success. And when they do succeed, they need to be resilient and bounce back against all odds.’

Lihle said the book received overwhelming feedback from peers, with some readers crediting it for helping them change their outlook on life, overcome suicidal thoughts and improve their academic motivation.

A moment of truth

As a result of the book’s impact, she was awarded Youth Empowerment Champion and NextGen Innovator of the Year at the Africa Continent Awards in 2025. She accepted with pride and excitement, yet remained humble.

‘The testimonies and feedback that I received from learners were always so heartwarming and so pleasantly surprising. It was something that my family and I celebrated. Winning these awards meant that these achievements were now beyond my family and me, but they were being recognised by the African continent, and that was so big to me.

Central to her message is the importance of self-belief, which she says must come before opportunity. ‘Before the world can believe in you, you must first believe in yourself,’ said Lihle.

‘Without self-belief, an opportunity could be right in front of you, and you will walk right past it, thinking you are not capable. You won’t set big goals because you don’t believe you have it in you.’ However, these awards were far more than a personal achievement to her.

She saw them as a responsibility and a call to serve. ‘That’s part of the reason why I’m dedicating this year to reaching and motivating 100 000 teenagers across the African continent.’

Inspiring others

Lihle is now launching the #Lihles100kTeensChallenge, a youth empowerment initiative aimed at inspiring 100 000 teenagers across Africa. The campaign will include school visits, motivational talks, mentorship programmes, self-belief conferences and distribution of her book.

Conferences will bring together top achievers, role models, and young professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds to share motivational messages. She encourages young people not to wait until adulthood to pursue their dreams and urges them to actively protect their self-belief despite external challenges.

‘I want to motivate and inspire 100 000 teenagers across the African continent. I want to inject self-belief and ignite 100 000 teenagers’ dreams into action. I have my very own quote in my book that says: ‘Just as trees can grow tall in rough terrain, we too can be whoever we wish to be, irrespective of our background or circumstances’.

‘As teenagers in Africa, we are indeed in rough terrain. There’s a high NEET rate of about 40% in South Africa alone. The youth unemployment rate is over 60%, and there’s a high dropout rate as well.

This could kill any ambition or dreams that a teenager could have. ‘Their dreams don’t die because of a lack of potential. They die because self-belief is lost, and that is why my 100kTeensChallenge exists: to inject that self-belief into every young person.

Looking at the future

When asked where she sees herself in five or 10 years’ time, she said: ‘I see myself continuing to impact young people across Africa through education, mentorship, leadership development, and youth empowerment initiatives. I hope to build sustainable programmes that help young people unlock their full potential and become leaders in their communities and beyond.

She concluded with an anonymous quote from her book: ‘The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called failure, a loop called confusion, speed bumps called friends, red lights called enemies, caution lights called family, and you will have flat tyres called jobs.

‘But if you have a spare called determination, an engine called perseverance and a driver called willpower, you will make it to the place called success.

‘The youth should understand that success is not an easy road, but it’s one that has to be pursued.’

OFF THE CUFF:

• Introvert or extrovert?

Introvert

• Loner or part of the clique?

A bit of both

• Tech savvy or not?

Definitely not

• What do you always have with you?

My phone and definitely some lip gloss

• TikTok or Instagram?

TikTok

• Currently on your play list?

Michael Jackson

• Your pet peeves?

Interrupting someone when they’re speaking

• If you had R10 million, what would you do with it?

I would invest in education and learner welfare across Africa by funding school resources, feeding schemes, and sanitary products, and then take a small vacation.

Photo: SUPPLIED Text: BRADEN-LEE MOKOENA