A family is a family whether poor or rich. You don’t need tangible assets in order to be a rich family, but love, respect, support and time is all it takes.

I’m from a poor and uneducated family. We work very hard day and night, up and down in order to have a living. My mother sells alcohol, chickens, sheep’s heads and feet for me to go to school.

My uncle is also in Cape Town, also working hard to support his two children and wife. I have a brother and another family in Johannesburg, they are also working. My aunt, granny, cousins and my sister are in the Eastern Cape, depending on social grant for something to eat or wear. You see, we are separated and far apart, but this can change and you will be very surprised.

We all make sure during the year that we work hard so that we can get money to go home, which is situated in Qonce. Family members from Johannesburg, Cape Town and around Eastern Cape come to the house and renovate it. We change furniture, clean it and buy groceries. If you are a visitor and you want to sleep over for the night, then sorry, we will advise you to sleep on the roof because our house is full.

We all sit around the fire and share jokes or old memories. You would say we are playing music when we laugh. It becomes a very cheerful moment even when we play tricks with each other.

Although we are poor, we are very happy. We work hard to earn a living, but we value spending our time together. A family is a family with or without money. The time with my family makes me nostalgic.