Johannesburg Matric Student Self-Publishes Two Books While Still in High School

• Naledi Setzin, a matric student from Johannesburg, wrote and self-published two books during her 2025 matric year without waiting for anyone's permission
• Her first book is a children's story about environmental responsibility and community care and her second is a poetry collection exploring identity and personal experience
• Naledi's story has inspired young South Africans, with her message being to start where you are, use what you have and trust your voice

While most matric students were focused on surviving exams, Naledi Setzin was busy writing and publishing her own books. The Johannesburg student completed two titles during her 2025 matric year.

She wrote a children's story called Jacaranda Tree and a poetry chapbook which she titled Locked In a Suitcase. She did not wait for the right time or for someone to give her the green light. She simply started writing.

She said:

"I didn't need everything to be perfect. I just needed to be honest and real."

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Naledi's love for writing was not born in a classroom. It grew through some of the hardest moments in her life, including illness and personal loss. Writing became the place where she could put her feelings into words when speaking felt too hard.

"Sometimes it's easier to write than to speak," she said. "On paper, I can be completely raw and honest."

Two very different books

Jacaranda Tree speaks to younger readers about looking after the world around them. Naledi wanted the book to show children that caring for the environment is not a big, complicated thing. It starts with how you treat your street, your school, your community.

She also volunteers with a reading programme at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, where she has read the book to young children and watched them light up as she told her story.

Locked In a Suitcase is a very different kind of book. The poetry collection turns to look at the inside of a person. It explores how every person carries a unique set of experiences, memories, and emotions that shape who they are and how they see the world.

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Together, the two books show a young writer who is just as comfortable speaking to the world as she is speaking to herself.

Naledi is also pushing back against the idea that young people don't enjoy reading.

"I believe people don't actually hate reading. They just haven't found something that speaks to them yet," she said.

More stories on young South African achievers

• Briefly News recently reported on a matric top achiever who opened up about something her excellent results could not actually guarantee her. Her honesty surrounding the situation surprised a lot of people.
• A young woman shared a run-through of her entire school career, as well as the results she posted from as far back as primary school, and had South Africans stunned.
• Four matric learners went from school uniforms to amazing dance gowns in one video, and the transformation had South Africa asking one very specific question after watching the clip.

Source: Briefly News