The place I’m from
I am from a place where there is no hope, a place filled with misery where dreams are killed

I am from a place that is surrounded by plenty of coal mines and power stations Yet there is a high rate of unemployment
A place where people protest to get employed without proper qualifications

I am from a place where violence is the answer for getting service delivery
A place where without violence there is no provision of electricity and clean water

I am from a place where teenage pregnancy is a trend and dropping out of school is the new norm

I am from a place where it is not safe to roam around the street regardless of being day or night
A place where there are vultures always waiting for the opportunity to rob you, a place where people will just stand and stare at you being robbed and act like nothing happened

I am from a place where drugs and alcohol rules and controls people, a place where it is rare to see people sober

I am from a place where the roads are dusty which makes it difficult to wear a pair of white jeans or white sneakers

I am from a place where every house has cracked walls caused by the blasting from the nearby coal mines

I am from a place renowned for violence, a place where if you make it out alive you call it a miracle and never to return again
I am from a place called Emalahleni