South African born, Nthabiseng Ngoepe is a fierce litigator known for her vibrant, high-pitched voice and a reputation for never backing down from a fight.
But behind the powerful courtroom persona lies a story of pain, defying suicide, cancer and abuse. She is a survivor of teenage pregnancy, multiple suicide attempts, abusive relationships, and a brutal cancer battle.
In an explosive and deeply personal interview, she has broken her silence to reveal how she became a beacon of hope for thousands.
“I am my story,” she declares. “Every tapestry of my life is woven and ironically strengthened by the very pain I went through.”
However, Ngoepe’s astonishing turnaround began with a single, powerful realisation: “My silence on mental health would be a great injustice to my generation.”
Attributing her survival to God’s grace, the legal powerhouse lives by the biblical verse “from glory to glory.”
“If we remain stagnant, we are not growing. If it is of God, it has to keep growing,” she states.
“My life is a platform for God to showcase Himself, through my pain, struggles and disappointments. Someone learns that God still can and will do more.”
Her faith is matched by a meticulous, almost relentless, sense of organisation.
“I hate to lose unaccounted time. I cannot afford to idle. If one thing my profession has taught me is the value of time.”
Her driving mission now is to break the culture of silence surrounding mental health, particularly in Black culture through her Foundation, Rola Pelo.
She points a direct finger at damaging cultural idioms like “Men don’t cry” and “lebitla la mosadi ke bogadi” (a woman’s grave is at her marital home).
“We are a nation that has never been taught the value of finding the self,” she warns.
“We choose to perish in silence because society doesn’t welcome our mental health battles. We are trained to endure.”
She blames this silence for the surge in societal ills, linking it directly to substance abuse, gender-based violence (GBV), and child abuse.
“The negativity and rage is indicative of wounded souls. We cannot ignore mental health and expect a happier, thriving nation. That is absurd.”
In a message that challenges traditional views, Ngoepe insists that being spiritual does not make one immune to depression.
“The perception that a spiritual person cannot have depression is a myth.”
Her solution to mental health issues is through a powerful blend of divine faith and clinical strategy.
“Overcoming was by grace, strengthening was by cooperation and intentionality on my part. There is a part you need to do for your wellbeing, and there is a part that God will do.”
With a steadily growing footprint in South Africa, Ngoepe says her gatherings are expanding into Botswana. Her organisation Rola Pelo is proliferating into Gaborone, aiming to become a central hub for hope.
Rola Pelo is joining forces with sister organisations like the Botswana Network for Mental Health and Valour Mental Health Foundations.
The battle cry culminates in a massive free-entry gathering, the Rola Pelo Gathering, on September 26th at the Molapo Piazza.
In a direct plea to the nation, she calls for the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs and the Ministry of Health to stand with them.
She believes that addressing societal ills, will defeat the surge in rape, GBV and domestic violence.
“The few days between 19th December 2024 and the first week of January 2025 reported 60 rapes, 19 murders and 13 defilements. That alone speaks of a nation that is at war against itself.
It is a joint crisis that needs each and every one of us,” she asserts. “We are hoping to achieve this awakening together.”
This is more than a story of survival, it’s the story of a warrior using her scars as a weapon to fight for the soul of a nation. And she is not backing down without a fight.
But behind the powerful courtroom persona lies a story of pain, defying suicide, cancer and abuse. She is a survivor of teenage pregnancy, multiple suicide attempts, abusive relationships, and a brutal cancer battle.
In an explosive and deeply personal interview, she has broken her silence to reveal how she became a beacon of hope for thousands.
“I am my story,” she declares. “Every tapestry of my life is woven and ironically strengthened by the very pain I went through.”
However, Ngoepe’s astonishing turnaround began with a single, powerful realisation: “My silence on mental health would be a great injustice to my generation.”
Attributing her survival to God’s grace, the legal powerhouse lives by the biblical verse “from glory to glory.”
“If we remain stagnant, we are not growing. If it is of God, it has to keep growing,” she states.
“My life is a platform for God to showcase Himself, through my pain, struggles and disappointments. Someone learns that God still can and will do more.”
Her faith is matched by a meticulous, almost relentless, sense of organisation.
“I hate to lose unaccounted time. I cannot afford to idle. If one thing my profession has taught me is the value of time.”
Her driving mission now is to break the culture of silence surrounding mental health, particularly in Black culture through her Foundation, Rola Pelo.
She points a direct finger at damaging cultural idioms like “Men don’t cry” and “lebitla la mosadi ke bogadi” (a woman’s grave is at her marital home).
“We are a nation that has never been taught the value of finding the self,” she warns.
“We choose to perish in silence because society doesn’t welcome our mental health battles. We are trained to endure.”
She blames this silence for the surge in societal ills, linking it directly to substance abuse, gender-based violence (GBV), and child abuse.
“The negativity and rage is indicative of wounded souls. We cannot ignore mental health and expect a happier, thriving nation. That is absurd.”
In a message that challenges traditional views, Ngoepe insists that being spiritual does not make one immune to depression.
“The perception that a spiritual person cannot have depression is a myth.”
Her solution to mental health issues is through a powerful blend of divine faith and clinical strategy.
“Overcoming was by grace, strengthening was by cooperation and intentionality on my part. There is a part you need to do for your wellbeing, and there is a part that God will do.”
With a steadily growing footprint in South Africa, Ngoepe says her gatherings are expanding into Botswana. Her organisation Rola Pelo is proliferating into Gaborone, aiming to become a central hub for hope.
Rola Pelo is joining forces with sister organisations like the Botswana Network for Mental Health and Valour Mental Health Foundations.
The battle cry culminates in a massive free-entry gathering, the Rola Pelo Gathering, on September 26th at the Molapo Piazza.
In a direct plea to the nation, she calls for the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs and the Ministry of Health to stand with them.
She believes that addressing societal ills, will defeat the surge in rape, GBV and domestic violence.
“The few days between 19th December 2024 and the first week of January 2025 reported 60 rapes, 19 murders and 13 defilements. That alone speaks of a nation that is at war against itself.
It is a joint crisis that needs each and every one of us,” she asserts. “We are hoping to achieve this awakening together.”
This is more than a story of survival, it’s the story of a warrior using her scars as a weapon to fight for the soul of a nation. And she is not backing down without a fight.
