Grade 10, Rena Le Lona
Sizwe was an eighteen-year-old boy who was raised by his mother, and he was her only son. Sizwe was a proud enthusiast and brave person in the village. They lived in a small village in Kwazulu-Natal, Emalahleni. The village people were still living in the old way and they were not advanced like the other villages. Nokuthula, Sizwe’s mother, was a kind-hearted woman who was considerate towards other people’s feelings. She always took good care of Sizwe, but she did not know that she was raising a hero.
Sizwe was a brave person, but in people’s eyes he was a great disappointment because he did not go to school. Sizwe’s reason for not going to school was not because he was dumb, but because of the situation at home, the background of his family, and also because the village did not have secondary or tertiary schools. He had dreams of going to university just like other kids, but unfortunately he was not lucky enough to go to university. He was not offended when they called him dumb, because he knew that that was not the reason he could not finish his studies.
Sizwe had dreams and was determined to live up to those dreams. “A young man with big dreams, I want to be a billionaire.” His mother would encourage him to do better. “Don’t give up, my boy, and don’t ever feel sorry for yourself, perseverance will get you where you want to go.”
Sizwe tried to make friends but it seemed that no one wanted to be friends with an uneducated person. His only friend was his mother, he loved her, and always spent time with her. “My mom is my best friend,” he said. A warm-hearted home is the best prize in the world.
There was a day when Nokuthula and Sizwe were sitting under a tree having drinks and snacks, while having a discussion. It involved the school matter. “I can’t even imagine how my life would would be if I managed to go to school. My peers are living their best lives with the latest phones and discussions about their lectures, and me, I can’t relate; I can’t even go on social media and see these beautiful lives everyone is living out there,” Sizwe said. “But my child, the social media lifestyle does not make you successful; trying to please everyone and living a fake life is detrimental. You have to stay true to yourself and stop wanting a lifestyle you cannot afford. All that I know is that all these people on social media are not really happy with their lives because they constantly have to impress others to prove a point. Appreciate the life you have that God has given you. The more you do so, the more you will find a great purpose for living and working hard for your desires. I know people have been giving you a hard time by judging you for not going to school, but you don’t have to prove to them that you’re intelligent. Prove it to yourself, not to other people,” said Nokuthula in a calm voice and spirit. He heeded his mother and those inspirational words.
A year passed. In the university of KZN things had been tough when the owner of the university sold out and started working with the Boers. Mrs Musuku sold the land to them for her beneficiaries and starting from there things started changing, from school pass rates, languages and financial matters. They had to change languages to Afrikaans and they also had to pass with 50% or more. The learners even had to pay for books and the school fees. This policy spread through the entire continent of Africa and many places adopted it. South Africa was under oppression and people’s rights were being denied; no one was allowed to speak their mind or move freely without being threatened with exile, which was like being sentenced to death, and no one could survive that. The people of South Africa needed a hero to save them. They were given the short end of the stick, and were hopeless, pleading for mercy.
Sizwe was not pleased with seeing human rights being violated, but what could an illiterate, uneducated person do? Power came with two big feelings, confidence and faith, that this would come to an end and people would be freed once again. Sizwe planned a campaign to overthrow the Boers’ law. People had lost hope, but eventually they saw how good the plan was and swallowed their pride. The plan was to set a date and attack the Boers’ law. They were fully armed, and Sizwe was the leader of the march, brave enough to face the unknown danger. Thousands of students came together to support each other (solidarity) and they fought for their rights, the right to education and the right to change their languages from Afrikaans to whatever they wanted. The Boers were threatened because all over the Africa the war was taking place, so they couldn’t stop or kill everyone because they need them, because who else would become their puppets for them to use to gain more money. Clearly they were not armed enough to face the power and resilience of black people.
The wheel changed after the war took place, the Boers were threatened to leave the place and find new land to rule, and they were told that they would not live in peace. Theft was increasing and they couldn’t stay in a place like that; all they needed was to make more money, not to waste money to buy more resources. After a month went by, were are only few Boers left, until they all vanished.
Sizwe became a voice for all the black people and became the reason why every black person was free from the oppression of the Boers. Sizwe’s words and actions were heard and seen. Sizwe was a brave and enthusiastic boy, and he was called to a big company to address how he managed to do all of this. Three words came to mind. He said, “It begins and ends in your mind. What you give power to will have power over you if you allow it.” The people of the community supported Sizwe.
Sizwe was granted with an opportunity as he was blessed with a prize to study abroad and become a president. He studied for years in America. Time passed, he graduated and managed to build and supply more things in his village. He made a massive change to his village. Nokuthula was proud of her son and she knew that she had given birth to a leader. He became an example of leadership. “Judge your success by what you had to give in order to achieve it. The great end of life is not knowledge but action.”
This is how the South Africans rose up against the Boers, with solidarity in times of crisis. “We push together, we conquer.” (If people start to give importance to peace over power, this world will be a better place).