By Vuyokazi Bam
Petros Bafana Masina is the man behind the #SundayIyahlonishwa drive, which encourages people to post their stunning pictures on social media platforms using that specific trending hashtag on Sundays.
Masina told Ekurhuleni News that, “the hashtag started during lockdown in April and i started it as a joke.” He decided to wake up one Sunday, and then he took a bath and made sure that his outfit was stunning. Thereafter he took a picture and posted it on social media with a puzzling caption. He further revealed that “the only thing that came to my mind was that ‘Sunday Iyahlonishwa’ and people liked it.” He added that he would normally visit his sister more often and he also encouraged her to take pictures on Sundays so that she could post and use #SundayIyahlonishwa. Masina challenged his friends on FB the following Sunday to post a picture of themselves and use the hashtag #SundayIyahlonishwa. Masina mentioned that the main reason he pushed the hashtag was because during lockdown people were not taking good care of themselves due to various reasons of job losses and they were also not doing anything since they were locked up at home.
“I wondered why we did not take good care of ourselves, with that in mind i decided to challenge my friends to wake up on every Sundays and then bath, smell good, and take pictures which will be posted on facebook using the #SundayIyahlonishwa. As the hashtag gained ground i was approached by my friend Nkululeko who brought up an idea that we should make T-shirts using the #SundayIyahlonishwa as it was trending and people loved it.” He disclosed that people love the brand as they supported him and pushed it through the early days of lockdown. Masina’s hashtag trend has gone as far as reaching celebrities such as Oscar Mbo who is now using the hashtag on Instagram.
With no doubt Masina will be releasing new designs for the year 2021, as his main aim is to host an event when regulations have been eased. “I want to have a Durban July in KwaThema where people will be all dressed up and listening to good music.” He divulged that his 2021 vision is to see the #SundayIyahlonishwa in other big cities such as Durban, PE, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and even going far beyond. Masina told Ekurhukeni News that “my family has been supportive since the beginning of the hashtag, the friends I keep have been supportive, although at first some people criticized it but I kept going and did not give up.” He also encourages young people not to give up on what they believe in.
