I’m from a place where the African sun
Shines brighter than our dreams…

A place where mothers wake up daily
To sweep outside despite cars driving over sweep patterns
They have made with their broomsticks as they engage in gossip and are interrupted by morning greetings – THOBELA, LE TSOGILE? (Good morning, how are you?)

A place where water is a necessity on paper,
And yet that necessity disappears every other week
Due to burst pipes which have been unserviced.

I’m from a place where potholes are as big
As the Kimberly hole
Yet parents continue to be hopeful that one day
They will get proper service delivery-the non-existent service delivery
that is always promised when it’s time for elections.
How politics have ruined livelihoods in communities

I’m from a place where land is our livelihood,
And yet we ignorantly neglect our connection with the land.

A place known because of ZZ2,
Tomatoes, avocados, citrus, mielies you name it!
It’s like the Garden of Eden.

I’m from a place where dreams fade away
Under a Morula tree.
A place where the green bottle becomes our water
And getting the next high is what we look forward to.
Drugs, sex, and alcohol- three kids very infamous in my community.

I’m from a place where “I do” …
Is a ticket out of poverty
And babies are a blessing from God
‘You dare not have that ABORTION-THAT BABY WILL GROW!’
‘But I cannot afford the baby’
How do we end this vicious cycle of poverty?

An area where girls have settled on being baby mamas to men that roam the streets whilst leaving traces of their DNA and ‘nice time’.
The girls have stopped dreaming, trying hard to get out because dreams have faded.

I’m from a place where you cannot walk out on the streets
Without amajita and older men undressing you with their looks
Coupled with whistles and comments like ‘babygirl, mamas’.
Uncomfortable walk, you think your hips and behind are the attraction that you shouldn’t have worn those leggings or drees so you ignore those comments and whistles
Boy oh boy are you inviting insults that knock your self-esteem even further
Man the insults, the psychological abuse we endure in this community
Where I’m from is not a pleasant place.