WANcareerlife: PHOTOGRAPHY: For Mphela, image is capturing, copying and actioning

Mphela David Matlakala is truly a man of action. His job is to photograph people and events from behind the lens, but he takes centre stage when it comes to the bigger picture of life. He is a self-made photographer, a self-made choir master and he preaches the Lord’s word at his ‘Trusted’ church. Here he shares his thoughts with Thembi Masser during a breakfast interview.

In probably a first for its kind, Mphela formed a Zionist school choir at Phandimfundo High in Etwatwa, Benoni, which grew from a few school mates to over fifty members! He also taught maths to grade 10’s while he was in grade 8. That was not enough, when he started his business to shoot videos he shot Generation’s Kenneth Mashaba!

Today he runs Motlokwa Productions from his backyard office. Motlokwa Productions serves a myriad of services-a video production, photography, CV profiling, document typing, and all things internet café. It all started at the very same Phandimfundo, which he affectionately calls Phandu. A Chinese company arrived at the school looking for learners who were interested in photography to step forward-Mphela did. “But even before they arrived at the school photography was always my passion, it was something I wanted to do later in life,” he explains. He started making money from the business right away. He called the business David Professional Photography.”What a cheek,” he proclaims, “I was a raw amateur, a school boy but called myself a professional photographer! But my customers believed that I was really a professional because my work was outstanding.”

But then a vision came to him with a warning and brought him down to earth. He was instructed to call his business by his clan name, Motlokwa. He obliged. He is a self taught business man although he says mercantile law, a subject he did at school, has a lot to do with his success. He taught himself to shoot videos and later Davi, one of his associates, gave him lessons on videotaping.

He has travelled far and wide Mphela, capturing events on film. He has been to Swaziland on numerous occasions to photograph weddings. He has shot a video of Seputha Sebogodi, popularly known as Kenneth Mashaba on Generations, TV soapy. Mphela recalls that Sebogodi advised during the shoot. He said to me, forget about people, live your own life and concentrate on your business…’

“I have also shot Sthembiso Zondo, the motivational speaker and Pastor S Zondo of the Rivers of the Living Waters.”Then he shot Black Coffee. He also shot the Rand Water awards in Boksburg.

Thanks to Davi, he taught him how to use these big video caneras. It took Mphela only five minutes to understand what Davi what saying.

Now he picks unemployed people from the streets and teaches them how to use a camera and how to set the lighting systems. There is no rest for him. On Sundays he puts on his blue and white uniform and preaches for the congregation. He prays for the sick and the unemployed t The Trusted… he is also the treasurer, the Sunday school class teacher. “Thanks to the Archbishop Solomon Masemola who has been a pillar of strength for me from 1998 when I was baptized at his church.” Mphela is energetic at the church and tells the youth, “Trust in your ideas and have faith that they will succeed.” And he tells them not to look up to the government for aid, but to get up and get going and act…

He gave his mother an invaluable gift in 2009. He established Motlokwa Day Care Centre. His mother still runs it today. And there is the story regarding the establishment of the internet café. It was intended as a gift to someone he held dearly to his heart. But the person wanted a lot of money to go with the café and eventually, when Mphela did not oblige, walked away. Mphela runs the café by himself now. He says the café is for the future. “My slogan for my café is “I do more than the vision’. Every now and then I close the business and go out of the township and pray on a koppie. I pray for my business, my customers. The café puts food on my table and it dresses me. I am also able to give the church.”

What is left for him now is to upgrade it. Apple Macs. State-of-the-art video cameras and opening branches country wide. “When business is down and uncertain I kneel down and call on the Lord for help.

Mphela is, however, skeptical. A lot of people come to him pleading poverty while looking for help from him. Knowing the state of the socio-economic conditions of the township, he helps them. But when they have money he complains, they walk far away from him. “But I am a Christian so I forgive them and forget the incident.”

There were other setbacks as well. The arrival of the camera phone disrupted his photography business. Other photographers called an indaba and Morwa Productions was born. It was formed by people from the IT sector, fashion designers, and the like. He was elected treasurer. But Mphela had a social problem which affected his standing in them organization and his membership was terminated. The establishment folded later afterwards.

At Phandu he was a diligent learner. He was good in maths and physics, which helps with measurements in and repairing his machines. He also excelled in biology, English, Sepedi, economics and mercantile law. His favourite teachers were Mr. Gideon Nkosi, the physics master, Ms Nkosi who was a maths master and my class teacher, and Mr.Mtshali who also taught maths.

And then there was the Zionist choir he conducted at school….

A timeline of achievement in life...so far