Grade 11, Rena le Lona Creative Centre
Tsatsawane Chauke was born in ka-Mhinga, a small village in Limpopo. Tsatsawane was a very smart and observant girl. She was very short, dark-skinned with short hair and very beautiful.
Tsatsawane was raised by both her parents along with her six brothers. All her brothers were told to and allowed to go to school, whereas she was not allowed to go to school.
Tsatsawane was told to remain home and look after the livestock since her parents believed that when a girl-child goes to school, she would engage in a romantic relationship which would lead to teenage pregnancy.
Tsatsawane and other girls in their neighbourhood were told that early in the morning they should go to the river to get water and come back and take the cattle to the forest. They were expected to stay away in the forest until the sun set and guide the cattle back home.
Tsatsawane enjoyed her own company because she would ask herself a lot of questions about school and success. Some girls would come back from school and walk past her in the forest. She tried approaching some of them, but they were not interested in talking to her since she didn’t know how to speak English.
One day when it was very hot, a girl walking back from school was very tired, dusty and thirsty. She passed through the forest since it was an easy route to get home early. She saw Tsatsawane. As they were both Tsonga-speaking, she could easily ask for water. Tsatsawane asked the girl her name as she offered her a cup of water.
“My name is Evelyn,” she said. Tsatsawane had a chance to ask someone about school. Evelyn was so unlike other girls from the village — she was kind and friendly. She was the same age as Tsatsawane — 10 years old.
Since it was a bit late, Evelyn had to go and promised to come back again. Tsatsawane couldn’t wait to see her again so she could learn more about education and school. The next day Tsatsawane was all smiles because she was looking forward to seeing Evelyn in the forest.
She waited but Evelyn never showed up. Tsatsawane was very disappointed and sad, but she did not lose hope. Tsatsawane went home a bit sad since she wanted to learn how to write and pronounce words better.
The next day Tsatsawane went to the forest with a little hope that she would meet Evelyn again. At last Evelyn showed up and explained why she couldn’t make it before. Evelyn thought it would be better if she started by teaching and showing Tsatsawane how to write and pronounce vowels and consonants.
Tsatsawane was a very fast learner. In three months’ time, she was able to read and write. She continued learning until she was fluent enough to communicate with English-speaking people. She and Evelyn were best friends and they both encouraged each other to change the world.
Sometime during the spring, two Boers visited the village looking for farm workers. When they needed to communicate with Tsatsawane’s parents, she was the one who communicated better with them. The Boers decided to hire both Tsatsawane and her mother as farm workers. Her father agreed since great offers were made.
Tsatsawane and her mother worked on the farm for half the day and the rest of the hours they would work in the Tonders’ (The Boers who offered them jobs) family home.
Tsatsawane and Peter Tonders, the son of Mr and Mrs Tonders, were starting to become close, as they communicated daily.
After six years, Tsatsawane and Peter were in a relationship. Tsatsawane never forgot her vow to Evelyn to change the world. She shared her ideas with Peter. He offered to help her change the law that said that girls should not attend school.
Tsatsawane wrote a letter to Evelyn and told her about everything that was happening in her life, “I will come back within the next month, and we shall fulfil our goal with the help of my husband.”
Evelyn went back to the village along with her.
Since it seemed like the Boers had power back then, it was easier for them to hold the meeting. Everyone from the village was there, including the King. Evelyn and Tsatsawane made sure that everyone changed their mindset about allowing girls to go to school. They delivered good speeches that caught the King’s attention. After the meeting, the majority of the parents were very keen to enrol their girls at school. After two years, all the girls in ka-Mhinga were attending school.
Tsatsawane studied Law and got married to Peter. They were blessed with three children and lived happily ever after.