I, Rethabile Tlholatlung, once became a victim of bullying, which nobody knows about, and I mean even my very own parents don’t know.

I was in Grade 4, in the same class with the very same girls who were bullying me. Honestly, I thought they were sweet girls, hence they had innocent faces, but it turned out that I was lying to myself. The three girls realised that I was living a better life than theirs. They started threatening to beat me to a pulp if I didn’t give them my pocket money every day. I had no choice but to do so.

It went on like that for years, maybe a year or two, until they told me that they wanted real money and if I didn’t give it to them they’d beat me up. As I was scared of being beaten up I started to steal money from my own mother, hard-earned money, stealing amounts of R100 upwards just to satisfy the bullies so as not to be beaten up. They also forced me to steal food from the house and give it to them. I did!

How foolish I was stealing from my own hard-working mother, but I had no choice because I did not want to be beaten up. It was hard for me to tell my mom that I was being bullied because they promised to beat me to a pulp if I said a word about that. I was suffering.

Mom and Dad, with that being said, I ask for forgiveness. I’m constantly and deeply sorry, though it’s not enough, but I believe that one day you will get to understand and find it in your hearts to forgive me.

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