It was a cold Friday morning, I laid peacefully on my bed with my two-year-old daughter, Thembi, beside me. I was awakened by the sound of an alarm I had placed on the side of my bed. I could hear the screams of a woman coming from my father’s room, I slowly opened my door and tiptoed the whole way until I got there. As I was about to open the door the woman screamed so loud and stopped immediately after that. It was so silent, I reached for the handle and as I was about to open, my father was on the other side about to exit with a dead body of a woman on his shoulders…

“Mbali, what do you want, Listen and never look back…”

I quickly ran back to my room and the locked the door. Shaking, confused and scared. I was all alone, I had no one to call. I went on my knees, closed my eyes and prayed but as soon as I finished I heard a knock on my door, it was him…

My name is Mbali Sithole. I was born and raised in Soweto. I lost my mother at the age of two. She was infected with HIV which she got from my father. She fell into depression and died a month later, I lived with my father who was sweet and loving back then but he changed as time went by.

One day I was sitting in class writing a test when the principal walked in and asked to have a word with me. My father was waiting outside and he told me to pack my bags and leave with him. “Why?” I asked. He grabbed me and I fell to the ground, the principal tried to pick me up but he wouldn’t allow her to help. I stood up and refused to go with him, I ran back to class to proceed with my test. A few seconds later, he walked in, grabbed my backpack, grabbed me by my clothes and walked out.

“From now on, you will listen to me and will do everything I tell you. You will have to leave school and come take care of me,” he said. I was scared and shocked, what has become of him? This is not the man who raised me. I don’t know who he is. I looked at him and agreed with everything he said because I was scared to refuse.

We got home that day and there was a woman lying in a pool of blood, bruised and shaking. I looked at her and walked slowly towards her, tears rolled down my face. I was scared, I didn’t know what had become of my father. He grabbed me and threw me aside, walking towards the lifeless body and dragged her to the basement.

Years passed and it got worse, he became a monster and I was scared of him.

On the 25 November 2018, I was in my room reading a book. I could hear footsteps, they got nearer and nearer, he opened the door and stood in the doorway naked.

“Undress and come serve me,” he commanded. I looked at him and quickly jumped out of my bed and stood at the corner. He quickly walked in rushing towards me and slapped me.

“Okay, okay daddy I will remove my clothes,” I said and quickly did. He grabbed me, opened my legs and placed it inside of me and as soon as he did, he released a loud moan, it was very disgusting. I was silently crying. When he was done, he pushed me away and walked out, stood at the door, looked at me and said, “You are good, even better than your mother.”

I was disgusted. Two months later I found out I was pregnant, I told him about it and he said if I keep the baby, he will do the same to it as he had done to me. I was scared for the life of my child; I didn’t know what to do but I kept it and will do anything in my power to protect it.

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