My name is Mfundo Jacobs. I was born in Gugulethu in Cape Town on 29 December 1991. As a toddler I lived with my grandmother so that Mom could find employment. As a child I lived in Grahamstown, in Joza. I don’t have any highlights of the time I spent with Gogo there, but I do recall that I was a very naughty boy and she would pinch my bum every time I did something wrong.
I attended primary school at Ntlebi Primary in Grahamstown. I used to love playing karate with other kids during break time. From there I went to live with my mother in Cape Town. I had to attend a new school. I finished the rest of my primary school years at Searidge Park Primary in Tafelsig.
Life at Tafelsig was a major change for me. I had to learn English and Afrikaans immediately. However, within my first year there I was able to speak both languages. My mother was like my second teacher at home. She would never allow me to go to sleep without reading something. If she came into my room and found me sleeping, she would wake me up and tell me to read.
I used to love fixing electronic stuff, but for some reason I would always come back from school and find them thrown in the bin. Mom hated it when my room started to look like a pigsty and stressed neatness in man.
After finishing primary school I went to Princeton High School, a technical school. This is where I fell in love with writing. I had so many thoughts in my head and I enjoyed putting them down on paper. Early teenage years came with their challenges and I found myself not writing. I even found myself requesting a transfer and I stopped attending school.
I was then out of school doing nothing. Eventually I managed to find a job, but over time I got fired. I became bored and hung around with the wrong crowd. Eventually Mom had enough and sent me back to Grahamstown.
Here in Grahamstown I found writing again. While in my previous school I had written a short story called ‘Sitting with Andile’ and when Upstart heard of this they loved it and encouraged me to continue writing. I am currently now doing my matric at Graeme College.