This image is more than a landscape; it’s a mirror. Taken during a detour to Hidden Valley Wine Estate, it captures a fleeting but formative moment of stillness in my life. I was overwhelmed between cities, between deadlines, between expectations. I was due to board a flight to Johannesburg and write a semester test in Organic Chemistry, tired, anxious, and running on empty. But for a few minutes, I stood before this view: sunlight dancing on water, trees stretched gently toward the horizon, and silence holding me like an old friend.
I come from a rural town in Northern KwaZulu-Natal — a place of red soil, deep roots, and hard-won resilience. My upbringing taught me that to pause is not to waste time, but to honour it. And in this quiet encounter with nature, I remembered what grounds me: my family’s strength, my culture’s endurance, and my own pursuit of meaning through service and healing.
This photo holds my legacy, the story of a boy from Vryheid who found purpose in psychology. It speaks to my roots, where hope and hardship often coexisted. It reflects my purpose: to listen deeply, to hold space for others, and to contribute to a more compassionate world. And it carries my hope that even in uncertainty, we can return to ourselves.
This isn’t about how I look.
It’s about where I’ve been, and what I carry forward.

Seen by Stillness
- Photographer: Zandi Nhlapo
- Date: August 6, 2025
- Collection: Beauty, University of Cape Town