By Bronwyn M Singh
A 19-year-old with ambition is the best way to describe this week’s On the Couch guest. With his mind focused on business and the Amajuba Film Festival, Sbonkakonke had a chat with the Newcastle Express to tell us more about himself.
Newcastle Express (NE): How would you best describe yourself?
Sbonkakonke Luyanda Hartell (SLH): I’m ambitious, very ambitious. I’m strict, I can be cold, brutal sometimes. I have a reputation for being ruthless but I can be sweet, I’m a workaholic, I don’t have much of a life outside work, my relationships with people revolve around work, even with my girlfriend who works as my personal assistant. I’m driven by a strong desire to win.
NE: Tell us more about the Amajuba Film Festival.
SLH: We’re doing the second edition of the Amajuba film festival this year and it’s going to be taking a very different approach in its execution this year. I’m looking to use young and talented individuals from Amajuba not just on the ground level of the festival but even in management and the planning of this film festival.
NE: How did you become involved in this?
SLH: This year’s approach is youthful and the management is looking to entrust the execution of the festival with a young group of individuals. I was approached by management because they discovered my interest and ability.
NE: In your opinion, does the Amajuba District have a lot of undiscovered talent?
SLH: Yes, I think so beyond the shadow of a doubt and this year’s edition will prove how right I am about this.
NE: What can we expect to see at this year’s festival?
SLH: You can expect this year’s edition to be better than last year’s edition, you can expect to see a much younger team responsible for the festival and you can expect to see how talented the people of Amajuba are.
NE: What has been the highlight of your career so far?
SLH: I’ve had multiple different careers over my lifetime, sport was one once upon a time, I’ve had a rugby career at the height of it I was the 4th rugby player in my entire school’s history to play for the Blue Bulls, I’ve had a career in athletics where at the height of it I was the first and only athlete to receive the chairman athlete award mainly because the award was created specifically for me and after school I fell in love with film and am currently at the height of my film career making the 2nd edition of the Amajuba film festival happen this year.
NE: Who do you admire the most and why?
SLH: One person I really admire is John D Rockefeller, he may have been a ruthless business person but people can learn a lot from the way he did things.
NE: If you could visit one destination in the world, where would it be and why?
SLH: Russia. Russians fascinate me, their language, their writing – everything actually, even Putin.
NE: Tell us something about yourself that nobody knows and why.
SLH: I’m not really interested in fame, I’m more interested in money and power.
NE: What is your favourite series?
SLH: Favourite series is Suits, favourite characters are Harvey Specter and Samantha Wheeler.
NE: Braai and coke or steak and beer?
SLH: Steak and beer.
NE: What advice do you have to offer the youth?
SLH: I’m a youth myself but what I can say is figure out what you’re into and go after it as quickly as possible from a young age, this gives you lots of time for trial and error and it’ll teach you more about the person you are and the person you want to become.
