Paballo Molahlehi

My Featured Work

Bizcommunity •

On being a black face in a predominantly white space

From the fast-paced nature of the ad beast, to the ad folk’s inclination to excessive drinking (I’ll find any excuse to drink, to be honest), while being able to significantly influence pop culture – it was clear that this world was where I belonged. Or so I thought.Nothing could have prepared me for the disillusionment I’d be confronted with upon realising that the same industry I so badly wanted to be part of, was averse to the likes of what I represent. Being black, female, and disruptive to...
HuffPost UK •

The Other Side Of Rape They Don't Tell You About

Rape does not always come with an indistinguishable figure lurking in dark and eerie passageways, waiting for its next unsuspecting victim. It does not always come with the creep who stalks your every move the minute you get off a taxi on your way back from school or work. It's not always perpetuated by the coward who hides behind their culture; feeling entitled to your body because you are, and have always been an object placed on this earth for his disgusting gratification, irrespective of wha...
News24 •

Dear cigarettes - screw you | News24

I can’t recall what made cigarettes so appealing to me, or when exactly I decided to become a full-time smoker.Perhaps it was watching my dad in awe as he took a drag from his Peter Stuyvesant when I was a little girl. Maybe it was the envy rushing through me when I stumbled upon advertisements glamorising female smokers, associating smoking with success. Whatever it was that lured me into this addiction, I owe it the middle finger because it has taken me over a decade to break the habit.I start...
News24 •

Racism is not a sickness nor is it a mental disorder | News24

"I want you to recognize that I'm a proud monkey."The same term you have so often used to insult me an African "native", I now reclaim.I do this because I refuse to give you any ounce of power over me, dear racist. I've let you have this false sense of superiority for far too long.I've tried on so many occasions, to make sense of your racism in my head. Or maybe my brain, the same brain that is one degree removed from the animal, is too substandard to comprehend your contempt for me.I've even tr...
News24 •

Why we should value our elders | News24

I recently visited my grandfather after failing to do so for months, despite the promise I had made to see him every week after my grandmother passed away. Needless to say, he was delighted to see me, letting out a slight bellowing as he extended his arms to give me a hug. The old man is still surprisingly full of life despite being in his mid-90s.We spoke in detail that evening, about how my generation was gradually losing sight of their "Afrikan" identity in their process of adapting to Wester...
News24 •

I am woman- phenomenal and flawed | News24

I love being a woman and all the many nuances that come with being feminine-- from compassion to strength, to being intuitive. These characteristics make me a phenomenal woman."So you’re a feminist", a seemingly displeased gentleman declares after a conversation we have about the distinctions between men and women. I didn’t know how to respond to that, simply because my definition of feminism has always been vague. My friends are just as ignorant, with one referring to it as a softer side to cha...
News24 •

Am I not black enough for you? | News24

I love being black (and evidently, so does Spokane NAACP leader But I will admit that there have been moments where certain acts of ignorance by my fellow darkies have made me feel like hiding my head in the sand to avoid identifying myself with this racial group. Extremely savage acts of genocide and xenophobia, where one group will not hesitate in the slaying of members belonging to another group simply because they are darker, belong to a different ethnic group, or because they speak a langua...
News24 •

Why it's so hard to leave a toxic relationship | News24

I recently linked up with a friend of mine after hearing she’d rekindled her often volatile affair with her ex. My first instinct was to be viciously critical of her decision, considering what a complete douchebag he was to her. Instead, I decided to hear her out, having been in a similar situation not so long ago. As we sat down and she started pouring her heart out, her justification made sense to me. I could do nothing but sympathise with her.“I love him”, she told me, unapologetically.“Nobod...
News24 •

I’m tired of talking about racism | News24

A colleague of mine asked if I’d seen the video of a young girl speaking on the recent police shootings in America. I immediately rolled my eyes, an involuntary reflex, I promise. Although I'd become desensitised to the #BlackLivesMatter dialogue, I checked it out nonetheless.The young girl in question was Zianna Oliphant, the brave young queen who gave an emotional testimony to the Charlotte City Council after, yet another, police shooting of a black man.Tears streamed down my face at the sight...
News24 •

Things I know now that I’m 25 | News24

When I was a young warthog… especially in my teens (where I behaved like a pig most of the time), I used to get excited at the prospect of getting older. Oh, the freedom! I couldn’t wait! I already had a clear idea of how I’d look, walk, talk, dress, what car I’d be driving and how much I’d be earning. My cocky and completely naïve self was ready to grab the 20s by the horns!Then, just as I approached Twentiesville, that malevolent bitch we call reality paid me an unexpected visit and slapped me...
News24 •

Coming to terms with losing my father | News24

I imagine myself taking a stroll with the old man, side by side, in the quiet woodlands. He wears a crisp white shirt and what appears to be blue pants that are neatly ironed, yet I cannot make out which shoes he's wearing. The trees stare attentively at us as we walk past them but he's too preoccupied with our conversation to notice them or their shadows stalking our every movement.He asks me how we've all been and I tell him we've been fine to avoid worrying him by saying otherwise. I tell him...