I grew up in a place called Kwabhaca where everyone was with no one but themselves. A place where everyone minded their own business. A place where you could see freedom every time you opened the window. A place of vast empty spaces and nature. A place where the smell food from distant houses and the sweetness of the people was always in the air.

Then times changed. Things changed. Now I live in Chatsworth in KZN. Now I live in a place where there is no sweetness or freedom in the air. There is no freedom here. In this place people live close to each other. There are no vast lands or nature to look at and think your thoughts, or dream your dreams. You don’t feel safe here. You are scared even when you are in the toilet. You are scared that someone can creep into your house and do something harmful to you, or steal your belongings.

I miss the place where I grew up. I remember Kwabhaca where there was peace and quiet. I miss the nature, the vastness of the land, and the sweetness in the air.