Grade 11, Missourilaan Secondary School
Sibusiso is a fifteen year old boy. He was raised by his mother, and he has a younger sister, Refiloe, that is twelve years old. He is a very smart boy and has one close friend, Jabu.
One Monday morning, he and his sister were getting ready for school. Their mother was speaking on the phone, they couldn’t hear what she was saying, but she sounded upset. Sibusiso took his sister to school, and then he went to fetch Jabu and they walked to school together.
On their way, they saw the biggest drug dealer in the township, Eddie. Eddie stopped them and preached to them about school; he then asked when their exams were starting. Jabu answered and said that they were starting in two weeks. Eddie nodded and pulled out two sachets with white powder. He offered it to them and said that it helps calm the nerves. They refused to take It, but Eddie insisted. For safety sake, they took it and left. Jabu threw his away and Sibusiso put his in his bag.
After school, Sibusiso went to fetch his sister and they walked home together. They spoke about school, and bought snacks for them to nibble on as they walked home. As they arrived home from school, their mother was busy cooking dinner; she kissed them both on their foreheads. Sibusiso said that he was too grown for that and laughed. He and his sister went to the room and did their homework. That night as they ate dinner, their mother got a phone call and went outside to answer it. She then hung up and went back inside. She looked upset. Refiloe asked her what the problem was, but she didn’t answer. That night Sibusiso could hear his mother praying and crying.
The next morning, Refiloe and Sibusiso were getting ready for school once again. Sibusiso watched his mother closely as she was stirring a cup of tea for twenty minutes. When he fetched Jabu, he spoke to him about it. Jabu told him not to worry about It, and they walked on. After school, Sibusiso fetched Refiloe; they walked home laughing and making jokes. On their arrival, Refiloe opened the door and found their mother lying on the floor unconscious, and white foam was coming from her mouth. Refiloe was screaming out of shock and fear. Sibusiso ran in and froze in fear. Their neighbour heard the screaming and ran to help them. That Saturday was their mother’s funeral. Sibusiso felt hopeless and sad. He then remembered Eddie’s substance that calms the nerves; he still had it in his bag.
At the cemetery, Sibusiso felt like he was floating, but to him, it was better than the heartache he felt inside. Nobody noticed that he was high. The next day they moved to their father’s house. Their father, Abraham, lived with his wife, Jane. Sibusiso continued using the substance to numb his pain. He started failing in school and came home late.
His father was disappointed in him for his marks that dropped rapidly, and for being called to school for his weed- smoking. Jabu tried talking him out of doing drugs, but he wouldn’t listen. Time went by and Sibusiso became more and more addicted to drugs. He started stealing money to buy drugs from Eddie. Abraham later put him out, after he had stolen Jane’s wedding ring.
He lived on the streets for a few months. At night, Refiloe would sneak out food for him. She really felt pity for him, and she would cry about it in her room every night and get on her knees and pray for him. He started robbing people, and breaking into their houses in broad daylight and in the evening when it was loadshedding.
One Saturday evening, he went to visit the cemetery where his mother was buried. He cried and blamed her for his doings. He fell asleep on her grave. The next morning he woke up and walked back to his old home. He heard the sound of a church trumpet from around the corner. He went to the church. He walked straight in and knelt before the pastor. The whole congregation started praying for him, and he started crying. He had a seizure and passed out, but the congregation continued praying.
Three days later, he woke up in a rehab facility. The first two weeks, he struggled to adapt. He felt like he was losing his mind, he started hearing voices and getting nightmares. Three months passed and he started getting used to rehab, he started praying and asking God for forgiveness. After a year, he finally got out.
The first thing he did was visit his mother’s grave. He started crying and asking for forgiveness. He later went to this father’s house. There his sister opened the door and in excitement she hugged him. Abraham and Jane ran to the door. He asked them for forgiveness, they forgave him and accepted him back into their home.