***
Many people dream of achieving
financial freedom, but very few are willing to endure the struggles it takes to
get there. Forex trading is often seen as a shortcut to wealth, with images of
traders flashing luxury cars, expensive vacations, and six-figure withdrawals.
But what most people don’t see are the countless hours of learning, the
emotional breakdowns, and the financial risks involved.
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For Lethabo Malete @leethabomalete, a young South African trader, forex was never about quick riches—it was about survival, proving herself, and refusing to settle for a life of limitations. Her journey was not smooth or glamorous. She didn’t start with thousands of dollars in capital. Instead, she began with small $10 and $20 accounts, worked low-paying jobs just to fund her trading, and endured moments of deep frustration and self-doubt.
At her lowest point, she felt
completely alone. Her family discouraged her, telling her to find a “real job.”
She lost money week after week, sometimes blowing her entire salary in just
a few minutes. Depression crept in as she spent days locked in her room,
reading the same forex PDFs over and over, searching for the missing key to
success.
Yet, she refused to quit.
Through persistence, trial and
error, and an unwavering belief in herself, Lethabo eventually cracked the
code to profitable trading. She transitioned from struggling with $10
accounts to making six-figure withdrawals, proving that success is
possible even for those who start with nothing.
Her story is not just about
forex—it’s about resilience, perseverance, and the mindset needed to turn
failure into success. If you’ve ever struggled with trading or any goal in
life, her journey will inspire you to keep pushing forward, even when it
feels impossible.
This is the story of how a
determined young woman fought against all odds and built a thriving forex
career from scratch.
Discovering Forex - A New Path to Success
Lethabo Malete was just like many
other young people in South Africa—unsure of what the future held for her. She
finished high school in 2018 but had to rewrite her exams in 2019. During this
time, she was introduced to forex trading by her boyfriend. At first,
she didn’t understand much, but one thing caught her attention: the ability to
make money.
She was fascinated by the idea that
a person could earn income just by analyzing the markets and making trades.
However, she had no prior knowledge of forex. When her relationship ended, she
had to decide—should she let go of this new discovery, or should she continue
learning on her own?
Determined to figure it out, she took
matters into her own hands. She spent hours researching, watching YouTube
videos, and reading online materials. But the road was not easy. She had no one
to guide her, and the amount of information available was overwhelming.
****
The Hardships - Blown Accounts & Financial Struggles
Like most beginners, Lethabo
struggled to make profits. She didn’t have enough money to trade, so she took small
$10 & $20 accounts and tried to grow them. Unfortunately, she kept blowing
her accounts—losing all her money within minutes or hours.
At home, things weren’t any easier.
She was still waiting for acceptance into university, and her mother started
pressuring her to find a job. She knew that if trading didn’t work out, she
would have to give up on her dream and find traditional employment.
So, she decided to take a
low-paying job just to fund her trading. She worked as a store assistant,
earning 450 ZAR per week (~$24). Most of her salary went straight into
her forex account, but she kept losing. Every week, she funded, traded, and
lost.
Her family and friends doubted
her. They told her to give up and find a real job. She began to feel isolated,
depressed, and hopeless.
But despite the failures, she
refused to quit.
****
The Breaking Point - Depression & Self-Doubt
As weeks and months passed, Lethabo
became obsessed with forex. She felt like she was missing something—some
key knowledge that would finally make her successful.
She spent days and nights
studying. She read the same forex PDFs repeatedly, hoping to find a secret
formula for success.
During this time, her mental & emotional health suffered:
- She barely ate or showered.
- She isolated herself from friends and family.
- She was constantly frustrated and on the verge of
giving up.
This was the worst period of her
life. She was stuck between two choices: give up on forex and settle for a
regular job, or keep pushing despite the struggles.
Then, something changed.
****
The Turning Point - A Winning Trade
One day, while searching YouTube,
Lethabo came across a 13-video forex course. She watched all the videos
in one day and decided to try what she had learned.
She took a 200 ZAR (~$10)
account and traded gold. At first, she had no idea what she was doing, but
then—she saw her account grow to 2,000 ZAR (~$100)!
For the first time, she had turned
a small account into a big profit.
Excited and emotional, she
immediately withdrew the money and treated herself to a McDonald’s
meal—a symbol of victory after months of struggle.
This trade changed everything. It
showed her that success was possible if she continued to learn and apply
the right strategies.
***
Finding Her Trading Style - Market Psychology Over Strategy
After her first major win, Lethabo
continued trading gold. She then discovered synthetic indices (such as
Crash & Boom and Volatility 75) and realized they were easier to predict
than traditional forex pairs.
However, she also knew that trading
was not just about technical strategy—it was about understanding market
psychology.
She started to study:
- What moves the markets?
- When do certain patterns repeat?
- How do price movements follow cycles?
This deeper knowledge transformed
her trading style. Instead of simply copying strategies from YouTube, she
began developing her own approach.
***
The Cost of Success - Losing Over 100,000 ZAR ($7,000)
Lethabo’s success didn’t come
without setbacks.
To reach where she is today, she
estimates that she lost over 100,000 ZAR (~$7,000 USD) in blown
accounts.
She remembers one particular
mistake:
- She had $4,000 in floating profits but
refused to close the trade.
- She kept adding more positions, expecting
even bigger gains.
- The market reversed against her, and she
lost everything.
She was devastated. But instead of
giving up, she analyzed her mistakes and learned valuable lessons:
- Always verify trades across multiple timeframes.
- Manage lot sizes wisely—don’t overleverage.
- Accept that losses are part of trading.
***
The Breakthrough - Six-Figure Withdrawals
In January 2022, everything
changed.
Lethabo made her biggest
withdrawal ever—a six-figure amount. She doesn’t disclose the exact
number, but she confirms that it changed her life forever.
This was the moment she had been
waiting for—the moment she could finally say, “I made it.”
***
Overcoming Trader’s Block
Despite her success, Lethabo still
faces Trader’s Block—a state where she feels mentally stuck and unable
to trade.
To overcome it, she:
- Watches her favorite forex videos and PDFs
repeatedly.
- Takes a break from trading and deletes her
trading apps.
- Follows traders who inspire her but trade in her
style.
She understands that trading is as
much a mental game as it is a technical one.
***
The Dark Side of Trading Synthetic Indices
While synthetic indices like Crash
& Boom can be very profitable, they are also high-risk.
According to Lethabo:
- You can go broke very fast if you don’t
manage risk properly.
- It takes discipline and deep market study to
master them.
- Many traders lose everything before they figure
it out.
***
Advice for Aspiring Traders
Lethabo Malete’s best advice
to new traders?
“Do your research. People are
lazy. Don’t be lazy.”
She believes most traders fail
because they don’t want to put in the effort. To succeed, you must:
✅
Study the markets every day.
✅
Accept that losing is part of the process.
✅
Never stop learning and improving.
Her story is proof that hard work, persistence, and self-belief can turn failure into financial freedom!
Lethabo Malete’s journey from
struggling with $10 accounts to making six-figure withdrawals is a testament
to perseverance & resilience.
Her success did not come overnight—it was the result of years of learning, failing, and never giving up. For anyone aspiring to become a successful forex trader, her story is a powerful reminder: if you keep pushing, success is within reach.