Don't ever say Scarface' around me

A few years ago I was the typical university student. I couldn’t wait for the weekend to knock back shot after shot of anything on sale at the club that night; dance until dawn, go to my room in the morning, write poems etc. Generally, life was blissful. I always had a few Emalangeni in my wallet to buy what I wanted, like the Times of Swaziland and airtime.

In January 2009, God decided the Earth could use one more angel. As a consequence, my beautiful daughter was born into this world. I named her Sinakokonkhe to mean that even though I didn’t have the means to support her, I was optimistic that I wouldn’t fail my noble duty of making sure she had a good life.

Sensing that I didn’t have a job, my baby decided she did not want to be breastfed. A tin of powdered infant milk cost about E200. Each month she needed about three of those. Then there was Purity food, diapers, baby powder, Gripe Water, clothes, and the mandatory clinic visits for immunisation. There were sleepless nights. My eardrums were repeatedly shattered by that high-pitched scream and I still suffer from a sleeping disorder.

Soon, I couldn’t afford my favourite cologne. I switched to something much, much cheaper. I relied on my friends for the paper and the club visits dried up. This year the school fees are upon me. You know those English-medium preschools where they ask you for about E2 000 per term and convince you that your barely talking toddler needs computer lessons right away? They also have the courtesy of giving you a menu for each day of the week, two actually, one for cereal and the other for lunch. I foresee tough times ahead.

There is a man who has allegedly raped several women and young girls. He goes by the name of ‘Scarface’. He is still at large. A number of attempts by cops to bring him to book have been in vain. In one instance, 600 armed officers combed an entire forest but were unsuccessful in finding him. This has made some people believe he has some muti that helps him evade arrest. They talk about him like they are talking about an action film superhero.

This man (subject to findings of the courts of course) has caused untold trauma to the victims and their families, if the allegations are true. I hope God stays with them until they recover and beyond that. If someone were to do anything of that sort to my daughter, the pain I’d feel would be of untold proportions. We literally lay our lives down to raise these women of tomorrow; we expect them to grow and give birth to nations.

The name ‘Scarface’ invokes so much wrath in me that I cannot tolerate it anymore. I hope the cops are really close to arresting this man. I felt sad that those residents around the forest didn’t help the police during that search. Had I been there, I would have been in the front line.

If you ever say that name around me, you might end up with a face full of scars yourself.

Well said and well written...thanks!
Jan 11, 2012, 12:42 AM, Ngoloyi (Harold.Wilson@comcast.net)

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