Lisakhanya Maseti
From Khayelitsha, Lisakhanya photographs his community with heart and purpose. Through his work, he aims to challenge stereotypes and “show strength, unity, and beauty where others only see hardship,” using photography as both a voice and a mirror for his people’s resilience.
“I grew up in Khayelitsha, where the streets are loud and alive, but also heavy with struggle. Every day you walk past shacks patched together with metal sheets, kids running barefoot in the dust, and men standing on corners waiting for work that doesn’t come. It’s a place where dreams can feel like they are trapped between the walls of a crowded shack, never given the space to breathe.”
For me, the noise in my head was often louder than the township itself. Worries about money, about safety, about whether I'd ever make something of myself, they would stack up until it felt like I couldn't breathe. That's why training became more than just exercise. It became my escape. When I step into the yard with nothing but my skipping rope, my old shoes, and the weights I managed to find, everything else falls away.
When I step into the yard with nothing but my skipping rope, my old shoes, and the weights I managed to find, everything else falls away. The punches against the bag aren’t just punches — they’re the arguments I couldn’t win, the hunger I couldn’t ignore, the fear I carried walking home late at night. The sweat is proof that I can push through pain, that I can fight for something bigger than this township life.
Training teaches me discipline. It reminds me that even if I can’t control everything around me, I can control how hard I push, how much I give.
Every rep, every round, every drop of sweat is like a prayer — a promise to myself that I won’t let my environment define me. Training teaches me discipline. It reminds me that even if I can’t control everything around me, I can control how hard I push, how much I give. Every rep, every round, every drop of sweat is like a prayer — a promise to myself that I won’t let my environment define me.
“Khayelitsha is a hard place to live. But when I train, I feel free. In those moments, I believe freedom isn’t only about where you are; it’s about who you decide to become.” - Lisakhanya