By Nangamso Mabindla

A young East London resident has found that having an uncanny physical resemblance to the most recognisable face in the world - former president Nelson Mandela - opens many doors, and he is using this to help others in his community.

Growing up in the impoverished township of Ziphunzana, Ayanda Mbatyothi was unaware of his resemblance to a young Madiba. When, in 1989, a friend of his pointed out that he looked like Mandela, "I did not really take it to heart".

At the time Mbatyothi had never seen any photographs of Mandela, "so I took the comments as a complement and left it at that".

It was only in 1993, while Mbatyothi was campaigning for the ANC, that people started pointing out the similarities. "I was carrying a poster with a photograph of Mandela and people would stop and ask me if I was his son because I looked so much like the young Madiba in the poster."

But it was after the 1994 elections that Mbatyothi came face to face with Mandela. "It was probably the best moment of my life, meeting the man I idolised. I was very nervous because the president had already been warned he'd see his carbon copy."

The 29-year-old adds: "When I met him, it was he who was flabbergasted. He said it was true that somewhere people have a double and I was his."

Mbatyothi knew then and there he wanted to use this "talent" to help others. "I grew up poor and so it was always my dream to help empower other poor individuals." He realised he could use his face to get sponsorship for community projects; "I could help a lot of individuals".

With that in mind, the young Madiba as he is now known, started his own company, "Young Madiba Productions". He uses the company to get donors to supply food, blankets and clothes to various charity homes. He also uses it to reach out to communities and educate them about debilitating diseases, such as Aids.

"I am an entertainer and am always invited to functions to perform and mimic Madiba. People love it. Remember, I wasn't trained to sound like Madiba; it's something I developed. I use these occasions to educate people about HIV and Aids, which is escalating in our province," says Mbatyothi.

The company also assists with other community development programmes. "I have helped more than 30 talented youngsters from my community realise their dreams," he says. Some have become carpenters, some engineers and some fashion designers.

Mbatyothi recently designed a shirt, which he gave to Madiba as a gift for his 85th birthday. "Our people couldn't afford a gift for the former president, so I decided to design the shirt and give it to Madiba from the poor people of the province. The president loved it and said he would treasure it."

Strangers walk up to Mbatyothi to greet him all the time. "I'm not over-awed by fame," he says, adding that he has met many of South Africa's celebrities. "I've met Dingaan Thobela, Letta Mbulu and Caiphus Semenya, Hugh Masekela, Baby Jake; I even met President Thabo Mbeki. In fact, I was invited to perform my Madiba act at his inauguration."

But he has no intention of seeking wider recognition by relocating to SA's "Hollywood" Johannesburg. Staying in East London, he says, has been a difficult decision. "People advised me to leave the city and move to a bigger place where I would get more exposure."

Reflecting on his decision, Mbatyothi says: "I was born here, grew up here, became famous while here. The people are friendly and full of love, man I am an East Londoner through and through."

He enjoys the serenity of a small city like East London. "People allow you to be who you want to be, they give you privacy. To be honest with you, this is a beautiful city and I think we should learn to appreciate that more. And, of course there are a lot of business opportunities here that I believe we should exploit."

People sometimes say Mbatyothi is not living his own life, but a reflection of Madiba's. He refutes that, saying he launched his own company to be his own man. "There'll never be another Mandela, that's a fact. I want to be remembered as Ayanda Mbatyothi, not Madiba. I want to leave behind my own legacy."

Still on the subject of Mandela's legacy, the city is abuzz with rumours that Mbatyothi will be asked to play the young Madiba in a movie on Mandela. "That's still on the cards," he says. "I read that Morgan Freeman has been approached to play the role of the older Mandela, but I am not going to wait for that."

He has plenty of projects in the pipeline to keep him busy.

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