A few hours later we heard a knock and panicked that we might get busted. Oh boy our nightmare came to reality because there was a woman at the door asking my mother about the missing purse.

My mother just gave us a disappointed look and told her to come inside. My mom explained everything to her and she was so happy that she found it and said we must not return the money she just needed some important documents inside.

That day I was so scared in a way I had never been in my entire life and my mother was so angry and wanted to beat us, but luckily for us my father was there and told her not to beat us but she reprimanded us and told us a long lecture about stealing.

After seeing their disappointed faces I told myself that I will never steal again in my life.  That woman told my mom that we must come to her the following day.

The next day we went to her and she also gave us a lecture about stealing and asked us what she must do to us. .We told her to punish us however she saw fit. She gave us some chores to do in her room and we were so grateful that she didn’t give us a harsh punishment.

One evening a man caught her girlfriend in bed with another man in the same flat we were staying at and things got heated and he left. A few hours later, during the night, he came back with petrol and poured it in her room and down the passage until the second floor stairs. He started a fire and left. Most of residents were asleep and even us too. Luckily our neighbour saw the smoke and came to wake us. We had to jump through the window because we were at the very top of the building. Sipho told my mother to jump first and he would carry me and jump with him.

Policemen and fire fighters had laid mattresses and sponges for people to easily land on without getting hurt. We were saved that day, but most of our items were burnt and  unfortunately the girlfriend didn’t make it. Her boyfriend got arrested and jailed.