Media personality Somizi Mhlongo penned an emotional tribute to his deceased parents, thanking them for allowing him to follow his passion of being an artist.
Mhlongo recently launched his own kiddies’ online clothing store, Sompire Kids. The store will focus on trendy children’s clothing ranging from 2 to 12 years old.
The proud Mhlongo posted an image of himself in front of large portraits of his parents, Ndaba Mhlongo and Mary Twala, and one of himself in the middle of the two.
He captioned the post: “Ma and Pa this is me. Yo son. Thank u for always allowing me to be me always. When I said I wanna be an artist u never said finish yo matric as plan B. Coz u have always believed in my Plan A and so did I.
“And plan A has had its ups and downs. At some point I wish I had plan B. But I’m glad I hung on. Plan A is now paying off. I knew that one day I’d be the CEO of something. I thought that wud have happened 20 years ago.
“But I’m glad it’s only happening now coz I’m ready. Here’s to my legacy. It’s gonna be another rough tough journey but u bet IM READY. luckily I don’t walk alone. I have YOU around me all the time.“
Mhlongo recently received backlash from followers on his clothing line.
Followers felt that Mhlongo didn’t need to put his face on children’s apparel.
Some people highlighted how it was “not right” for a convicted sex offender to be selling children’s clothes.
This follows a 2008 case where Mhlongo was found guilty of fondling Celani Njapha’s private parts and sentenced to four months’ imprisonment or a fine of R6 000.
But Mhlongo responded on Instagram saying: “Sompire encourages kids to be themselves. It encourages boldness. It mainly revolves around positivity, loving themselves and being confident enough to be who they truly are. Hence the slogan: ‘Brave enough to be yourself.’”