Hi, my name is Kedibone, which means “I’ve been through the worst!” I know, right? But that’s our culture. Maybe my mom went through the worst when she was pregnant with me, and that’s why she named me Kedibone, Kedibone Dika. That’s me, and this is my story!

I was born in a small farm called Volksvan. The farm was owned by Mr Wyn van de Berg, and my mom used to work for him before I was born. My mom, who’s name is Madimeisibe Maseletsoa Dika, was a very beautiful woman. All the men at the farm wanted to ask her out, and the maid uniform looked so good on her, you would swear it was made for her.

With her rich melanin skin, an hour glass figure, and her snow white teeth when she smiled or laughed, I’m sure you would’ve wanted her for yourself too if you were a man. Her personality was bubbly, much like a bottle of champagne.

Even though some women at the farm were jealous of her, she was still kind to them, including Mrs Berg, and she believed everyone had a reason for their actions, whether lame or not. She was an angel in human form, and she believed in forgiveness. She was living proof of the phrase “forgive and forget”, and, even though Mrs Berg tortured her all the time, she always woke up with a huge smile on her face.

She always asked, “Madam, are okay?” which always made Mrs Berg even more annoyed with her.

On the other hand, Mr Berg was very fond of her. “Ella! Ella!” he’d call her.

“Jah Baas” she’d respond.

Mr Berg gave her the name Elizabeth because he couldn’t pronounce Madimeisibe, or Maseletsoa, and to shorten it, he would call her Ella! He was a strict boss, but not to my mom, or at least that’s what I was told. That’s why he … while telling me this story, Mapheto broke into tears. I saw she was in pain, but I couldn’t help it, so I asked her to continue. I remember shouting, “Tswela pela hle!!” while shaking her shoulders.

Mapheto was the only woman who truly knew my mother, or so I thought. I even thought they were best friends. I’ve been living with her for as long as I can remember. She was kind and beautiful too, and I thought she was my mother, until now. Even my sister and brother, actually, the people I thought were my brother and sister, were kind to me, and they treated me like I was one of them. It never crossed my mind why I wasn’t like them, but despite that, I always felt like I fitted in.

“Now that…” Mapheto continued while wiping away her tears and drinking water handed to her by Phagadi, our sister. I was the youngest of two (a sister and a brother). We all gathered in a hut, sitting in circle around a fire, and, just like every other day, I sat next to Mapheto.

Mr Berg was attracted to my mother, even though he had a wife, but my mom didn’t entertain him. One day, when Mrs Berg was sick, Mr Berg told my mother she had to take care of Mrs Berg, which meant that she had to sleep in the house and not with her co-workers outside in their small rooms. That night, Mr Berg forced himself on my mother, and that’s when I was conceived. From that day on, Mrs Berg had a solid reason for hating my mother, but my mother didn’t stop working, even under the circumstances. She passed away after naming me.

Tell us: What do you think killed Kedibone’s mother?