Goliath Ponie is an individual who strongly believes in the message of forgiveness and reconciliation. A message that is also in particular close to his heart is justice. He believes in standing up for what is right and speaking its truth, no matter the possibility of not being liked or even being hated.
Goliath was born and raised in the small town of Hopetown. He was raised by his mother and great-grandmother. They struggled finically. But Goliath’s dreams for making a change in the world, motivated him every day. Coming from a lower-class family did not put him in the back seat. He studied hard and put his faith first. Knowing God’s plan for him would suffice.
When he was in Grade 12 in Kimberly, he told a classmate that he would love to study theology at a university, as his dream is to become a pastor. The classmate laughed, and told him, “I will never make it to uni.” Fast forward, Goliath now has two degrees behind his name.
During his time as a theology student, he made really good friends, which surprised him. He never thought there could be so much love in friendship. The thing that surprised him so much, was the fact that the people that became his friends, best friends now, were white. They didn’t care. Goliath learned that no race or skin color should hold you back from being a friend to someone. During his personal struggles, these friends, Ruan and Charne Viljoen, Cecil van der Merwe and Dylan Allen, were the ones making sure he was okay, standing by him, crying, and praying with him.
As mentioned before, Goliath comes from a low-income family, he struggled to keep food on the table. It was hard for his mother, the support her son finically. Goliath was lucky enough to have friends help him, every single time he needed it. I could not help to think about Jesus’s testimony. He would use food to connect with people. He would sit down, with anyone, share food, listen to their stories and leave, changing their lives forever. Who many lives can we change by breaking bread?
Goliath, decide he wanted to make a change on campus, UFS. He ran as a presidential candidate for the SRC elections. During this time, he would see a lot of dividedness between students based on the color of their skin, the language they spoke, or what social class they came from.
I asked Goliath how he thinks we could tackle racism on campuses. Dialogue! We don’t listen to each other. We don’t empower each other enough. Each person on campus has a voice and it should be heard. He would love to encourage people that are unwilling to cross racial boundaries, they have a change of heart, as these people contribute negatively to the wellbeing of society.
Though Goliath has a theology degree behind his name, he also studied for an educational degree, which he is currently pursuing a career as a teacher for. He loves children. He realized that you can make a bigger difference in the lives of children through education. He hopes to later get involved in ministry work. But for now, children are his calling.
The rebel that inspires him most is Archbishop Thabo Makgoba. He is someone who always speaks out against the injustices that affect society, especially that which is political. He clearly rubbed off on Goliath.
Goliath inspires us to move forward, nothing can hold you back, not your past, not what someone thinks of you, not your skin color, nothing. If God has a plan for you, nothing can hold you back.
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall.”
Mahatma Gandhi
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