Basetsana Confidence Sheane is a 22-year-old female from Theunissen, in the Free State province. She is on a mission to change lives in her community of Masilo in Theunissen through inspiring them and being a model example.
She is the Free State World Special Award Recipient for the Month of October. Basetsana attended her primary education at Reseamohetse Public School and matriculated at Taiwe Secondary School in her hometown. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Education in Intermediate Phase degree at the University of Free State.
She champions for children and advocates for the youth, especially in the creative arts, culture, and literature, to be given the opportunity to play an active role in the economy of the country and their respective communities.
Basetsana is the author of a recently published Sesotho children’s book titled “Boitshepo O Ithuta Ho Itshepa”. She’s also a community builder and motivational speaker on issues affecting children and women.
Basetsana is also a certified Nal’ibali Literacy Activist, and her passion is narrating African stories. Lastly, she is currently serving the student community as a Peer Educator at the University of the Free State.
Not only is she a futurist and an aspiring academic, but her approach in life is about being solution-driven as well. She has founded a reading club called Tsebo Ke Lesedi (Knowledge Is Light), which she founded with the aims of fighting the illiteracy crisis in South Africa and cultivating the love of reading in primary school children.
Since Grade 1, Basetsana has always been an academically gifted student until she ultimately completed her matric in 2021. In her matric year, she had the honour of being recognized as the provincial finalist in the category of the National Best Learner Award of the National Teaching Awards (NTA).
The following year, in 2022, after the release of matric results, she emerged as the Number 1 Student at her former high school. Out of 7 subjects, she had managed to obtain 5 distinctions in her studies.
She also made it to the Top 3 of the Masilonyana Local Municipality Top Matriculants Awards 2022 and further became recognized as one of the Top Learners at the Lejweleputswa District Well-done Function in the same year.
From a young age, Basetsana lived a life of impact by inspiring her peers to strive for academic excellence. However, in 2022, her impact spread beyond that. At age 19, after reading online articles
shedding light on the literacy crisis that South Africa is facing, she decided to enroll in the free online Nal’ibali Course for Literacy Activists and FUNda Leaders. Eventually, she became a certified Nal’ibali Literacy Activist and formed a reading club in her hometown Tsebo Ke Lesedi.
The mission she had when she founded the reading club was to help fight the illiteracy crisis and to also use the reading club as a safe haven for kids in Theunissen, where they could spend their time during the school holidays.
After 2 years of struggling to raise funds to publish a book she wrote in 2023, Basetsana published her debut children’s book titled “Boitshepo O Ithuta Ho Itshepa” in August 2025.
This book tells the empowering story of Boitshepo, an 11-year-old girl from Masilo, who learns to overcome discouragement and live true to her name, “Boitshepo”, through the support of her teachers. It not only provides representation for Sesotho-speaking learners but also highlights the vital role of educators in shaping the lives of children.
Through vivid storytelling and engaging illustrations, the book builds resilience and confidence in children, equipping them to rise above challenges.
Basetsana’s accolades:
• Sunday World Heroic Women 2024
• Inside Education 100 South African Shining Stars 2023
• Sunday World Unsung Heroes 2023
• Free State World Newspaper Game Changers of the Year 2023
• YCAP Change Agent for Sustainability Award 2023
• Funda Mzantsi Championship 2023 Top 3 (Sesotho Spelling Bee category).
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