Becoming Him

In April 1981 Landa Mabenge enters this world trapped in a girl's body. From the start Landa is aware that he does not relate to his female form despite being socialised as a girl. At age 11 his world is shattered when an angry woman and her zombie-like husband arrive in Umtata to force him to accompany them to Port Elizabeth. Life in PE with 'The Parents' soon morphs into a Dickensian nightmare. Landa is subjected to horrific abuse as he descends into a world of isolation and shame.At 18 Landa is finally able to escape PE to study at UCT where he tries to embrace life as a butch lesbian but he remains tortured by his female body. After a close-to-death break down Landa finds strength to embark on an arduous four-year-long journey to physically and legally become Him. In 2014 he makes history by becoming the first known transgender man in South Africa to successfully motivate a medical aid to pay for his surgeries. Both heartbreaking and uplifting Becoming Him is a groundbreaking story of torture and triumph bravely opening the lid on cultural shame and abuse against those who choose a path less travelled.