Born in the diamond city of Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province, Mark Anthony Rowan Kotze matriculated from Homevale High School and went from odd jobs to being employed at a local bank. In an unfortunate turn of events, Mark along with two of his friends decided to rob the bank. This led to his arrest and imprisonment. During his time of incarceration Mark began to study towards his BA degree in Psychology and Communication Science.

Once released from prison he was employed as an office support worker at a local church for a few month from where he went on to being appointed as a Youth Development Worker on a project for the National Institute for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of Offenders. While fulfilling his role in the organization, Mark struggled to connect with the youth he was mentoring. This “forced” him to make use of his story and experiences picked up during his times of trials.

A few years passed when he formed part of the establishment and implementing the Tsosoloso Community Centre where he was the manager for roughly ten years. As a result of using his story at various schools upon request, he formed the Mark My Words Consultants which provides Motivational talks, Development and Growth training, Leadership mentoring, Business Development Consultation amongst other services.

In the process of conveying his life story Mark felt compelled to write a book about it all which he titled ‘Arrested… without the right to remain silent”. This book was followed by another self-published release titled “8 directions”. With two books now out and the broader public enjoying the very frank and down to earth approach he showcased while talking during interviews and public appearances, Mark started to gain the respect and trust he was working towards.

Soon Mark stepped into another field of entertainment by hosting his own radio talk show called the “MarkMyWords” show. Not long after making inroads into the broadcasting industry, he was signed as the host of the daily Morning Drive breakfast show.

His love for working with youth led to the private and public sector inviting him to educate youngsters in the area of enterprise development, which saw him developing material to assist in this process.