It was pure luck to be rescued without knowing you even exist. From the smelly and disgusting dustbins, to the arms of a heart of gold with so much love. My name is Asiphile (let’s live) and this is a story of Qhawekazii – my savour. Without her existence, or escape of a horrible nightmare, my body would be rotting like a dead dog.

After, Qhawekazii was born, her mother abandoned her a week later to the hands of her father. Her childhood was very tough for her and her father since they were the poorest on their village named, kwaDumisa. Her father’s job was planting in the gardens of three neighbours, the income would help him and his daughter to shut their eyes on a full stomach. Caring neighbours would give school clothes to the bright little girl that would walk a long distance to school with shoes with holes and a plastic bag full of her text and exercise books.

Qhawekazii also had a difficult time with the learners because, apparently, she was born with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which everyone knew and they despised her, calling her all sorts of names. But her father’s words would always echo in her mind, about not giving her energy and strength to humans that had no purpose or meaning in her life.

From primary school to high school, the situation at home was getting tougher as her father started to drown himself in alcohol with most of the money he’d get from the gardens – all gone to the spirit. However, Qhawekazii planted some food on their small yard like mealies, amadumbe, sweet potatoes and cabbages too. They mostly survived on porridge from sunrise to dark.

Qhawekazii didn’t know anything about her mother because every time she’d ask her father about her, there would be a sudden change of mood that will lead him to raise his hand to her face. Her father was the only family she knew.

Everything took a terrible turn on her final year in high school after she came home to her lifeless father laying there on his bed with half of his mouth open and eyes wide open.

Tell us: What do you think about Qhawekazii’s father