He is brave as a lion

By Kopano Ramashala

When Loveness Sithole gave birth to her first born child in April 1982, it was probably one of her most cheerful moments in her life. She waited 21 years for her “ideal mate.” Although she hadn’t passed her matric, she was mature and ready for a parental stage, or so she thought. And Loveness had a reasonably suitable job at one of Johannesburg’s corner restaurants as a waitress.

Together with friends, they spend hours talking and chatting about their ideal mate, children and their future. How they wanted their kids to be successful and prosperous in their respective lives. Unlike them they wanted a bright future for their children, they were more than prepared to give birth and provide to their offspring’s. They, especially Loveness, wanted her son to have a decent life, a life she could only dream off.

Together with her boyfriend Titus Sibauyono, they brought up Relebogile (their newly born son) with, love care and respect. But it was just until Relebogile was three years when the two separated, after having countless problems, they decided to call it quits, and go their own separate ways. It was a difficult moment to cope with for Loveness, but never the less she vowed to never back down, “I made a promise to myself to be strong and I will raise this child of mine till the moment I drew my last breath.” And she did well for the time being. She earned R150 per seven days, so it was hard but she managed to take care of her beloved son, for the first few years, until inflation got at her wage.

She knew little about lives little surprises. It was 5 years later when Relebogile was only 8 years old when she started experiencing problems. First Relebogile was 8 years old and one year late for school. Loveness was very distressed as her potential waver was suppose to be in class in order for him to acquire the knowledge and skills of being doctor, lawyer, journalist or anything for that matter.

When Relebogile was about to turn 9 years old, she send him to live with his proud mother in the Rural areas of Marokolong, in Hammanskraal. But mama Lubisa Moloi was a pensioner herself and couldn’t afford to feed yet another child.
Besides the poor old lady had another bunch of 8 kids whom she raised in a two roomed shallow muddy house. Her pension couldn’t afford to buy food, parcels, bags, school funds and clothes. She hardly had enough money to put food on the table for all of them,
and Loveness’s money was just too little to help. 4 of the 8 kids belong to Lovenes’s brother whom together with his wife are diagnosed with HIV and are ailing to death. While the other 4 belong to her sister who died in an awful fatal accident 5 years ago. And social grants were taking their time to come.

This was just to much to bear for the tiny but enthusiastic Loveness. In a bid to overcome her ever deteriorating circumstances, Loveness went on a jolling spree in Jo’burg and eventually met Chassetah Mtoua a Malawian who clicked with Loveness at first sight. He is my ideal man, a perfectionist, wealthy and smart man, she bragged to her friends and he promised to marry me and take care of Relebogile.

Fortunately Chassetah lived up to her expectations and offered to take Relebogile to school the following year. But little did Loveness know about Chasseto’s hidden agenda and mission of his own to imprenate Loveness and ditch.

Relebogile is admitted for his first class at Sesoto Matshetta primary school at the age of 9. His mother Loveness only comes home every month end to see and leave money with them. She usually came home with Relebogile’s step father. But at times she came home alone and leaves Chassetah behind to take “care of some business”.
Two weeks after loveness returned to Jo’burg, she returned home and when Relebogile arrived from school, he was really surprised to see his mother. “Mom, why are you home in the middle of the month, aren’t you supposed to be at work?”. His mom replied with a crocodile smile, “I missed you and granny so much and I wanted to see you again”. “When are you going back to work?”. “Soon”, she replied.

Relebogile knew little or nothing about pregnancy and how pregnant people look like. It was only a week later when someone rang alarm about his mother’s pregnancy. “Relebogile how is your mom?” “She is fine”. “Has she delivered yet?”. “Yes, delivered what?”. “A baby you stupid boy!!”. “What baby?”. “You, you, don’t know? Your mom is expecting a new baby, silly!!”.

This really angered Relebogile very much. He thought he was all alone and every focus would be turned to him and suddenly someone new was on the way. He was distressed and worried. Never did he think he would have to fight for his mom’s heart with someone else. He thought he was the only and last son to Loveness.

When he got home, he engaged his mom about the new born baby on the way. “Mom!!” he yelled with tears running down his cheeks. Mma Masoubuka told me that you are going to replace me with someone new, is this true?”.

“What, new, someone?”. “The baby you are about to deliver?”. “Ooh, shoo, that?. I was going to tell you about your new young brother when the time is right. So since you found out yourself, well, it’s true.
We are expecting someone and you shouldn’t worry about it, because he is not going to take your place” he counseled his son. But Relebogile was not convinced and this did not end up well with him.

Loveness was 8 months pregnant and it’s 2 weeks since she last heard from Chassetah. She is worried and told her mother about it.
“Mma, he has not made any means off contacting me in the past 2 weeks, I think something is wrong”.

Loveness, despite her huge tummy, hiked to Johannesburg to find her lover, and was she shocked!!. She found out that Chassetah had moved from his place somewhere unknown to Loveness. This disturbed Loveness so much that she collapsed and woke up 4 ours later at Johannesburg Central hospital, her blood pressure was ab- normal and she also took an HIV test. 24 hours later her results were released and she tested positive. She was distressed, she felt awful about it, all the things happened to her in a lightning pace. Chassetah is gone and she is pregnant and also HIV positive.

2 days later, Loveness is discharged and released from hospital. A month later she went into labor and everything went wrong.

Due to her worries and high blood pressure problems, doctors were unable to contain her blood pressure level to normal and as a result she died just before giving birth, as well as her expected child.

Back home, Lubisa, Relebogile’s granny is shocked and has a heart attack and dies 3 days later in a coma.

Relebogile’s mom died just when thoughts of sending Relebogile to his father, Titus, seemed to be the best idea she had ever had. But it was just too late to do that. The two are buried along side each other at Ramotse Cemetery Park. Relebogile is left alone in the shallow muddy house. Live seemed so hard for the young man, but little did he know it was only the dawn of his new life.

Seven years later Relebogile is 19 and is writing his metric. He works hard and passed with an exemption score. He registers as a first year MDST student at University of the North. But due to lack of sufficient bursary information he runs into debt with the University and drops out. But with his “never say die” character, he manages to acquire information how to get a bursary and today, although he lacks intern practice, he is doing his final year as a Journalism student at Tshwane University of Technology and the the future became for him.

He has defied odds and has overridden some of the most difficult moments of his life. And he hopes his mother is happy with his progress where she is. He is on the verge of becomming what his mother wanted him to be, a Journalist.

THE END