I’m feel welcome that my home. My parents love me so much and they are my caregivers. My parents show me the importance of a family. I feel like a prince at home. My father is a person who loves education. My mother is an Afrikaans teacher at a high school and my father is an admin clerk at the local mall.

They are very supportive. We are a happiest family in the world. I really love my home. Home is where you get care and support. We love to watch television as a family. We live in a small cluster.

Near us is a primary school. We had a tavern but it was illegal so the police shut it down. We were happy because we – the community children – hate alcohol.

We also have started a motivational group to help those who live with HIV/Aids. It really helped many people. Because people feel like they are no longer wanted in the community if they live with HIV/Aids. So this group helped them and taught others to protect and take care of themselves. The group also taught teenagers to not rush into doing adult stuff. Because they can get unwanted pregnancies or diseases.

My home is a fun home: we have animals we are looking after such as goat and hens. These animals keep us company. We don’t feel lonely at all.

Last year I got in an accident because I didn’t listen to my parents. I went to a rubbish area nearby my home. I took a piece of broken glass and played with it. It cut me very deep. My parents had to take me to a nearby clinic, where we got help from the loss of blood.

Normally my parents love to make parties for everyone’s birthday. They usually sing in the morning. But last year, when I woke up they didn’t do anything. I was very disappointed. I went to school. When I came back from school there was no one home. I cried. I thought my family had forgotten my birthday.

I took my cellphone and tried to call my mother. But I just got her voicemail. I left a message that said, “Mom, where are you? Don’t tell me you forgot my birthday.”

After a few minutes, I got a message back that said, “Sakhile, my son, we are at your uncle’s house. You can come and join us.”

When I got there I saw a big tent. Inside there was music. When I listened carefully I could hear the music was all my favourite songs. I ran there but when I arrived there was no one in the tent. Guess what? I heard a big noise – “Surprise! Happy birthday!”

I was very surprised. We ate lots of food.

My parents have always taught me to respect my childhood. They say I must behave like a child. Sometimes it works for you.