Buddy Johannes Ntsong

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I was born in a mining village in the district of Witbank in the Transvaal. My father was a labourer at the mine and my mother had to work as a domestic servant in the white married quarters in order to assist my father with our upkeep.

I am the fourth child in a family of three female children and three males. At present all my brothers and sisters are married and have families of their own.

My father died when I was doing standard eight, and I had to terminate my studies after passing that standard as my mother could not afford to pay for my tuition and boarding as we had no high school in the area).

After the death of my father, we had to leave the mining village and we moved to a white owned farm where my mother had to work as a domestic in the farmer’s house as payment to stay on that farm. Due to the unbearable working hours she was subjected to, my mother’s health deteriorated so much that she could not continue working. We then had to move to the Lebowa Bantustan where we rented a four-roomed house in a small township a place where we are still staying.

All my brothers and sisters had by then left school-none of them having gone past standard eight.

I found some work at a mission stations a general helper and sometime helped to teach catechetics to children while at the same time receiving instructions in missionary work and religious studies from the priests at the station. I was later sent to a theological college for a year to upgrade my knowledge. Thereafter I became an evangelist in the church working in rural areas. Through private study I was able to pass matric with exemption.

I had then got married, and in order to support my family, I had to look for gainful employment while continuing to work part-time for the church in my community.

I got employed in the local township administration office as a clerk. Due to the poor living conditions of the community and the oppressive nature of the Lebowa government which controlled the township, and due also to the education crisis prevailing then in our schools, I was drawn into the extra-governmental community organizations in which I served as an elected—for these activities I was harassed by the Security. Police and the authorities until I was forced to resign as I had to spend a lot of time in hiding. I spent more than two years unemployed until I was awarded a bursary which enabled me to come to university. My wife had to support me and my children from her mere salary when I was unemployed and also presently as I study.

As for my having chosen philosophy as a major subject, it was due to the influence of the priests at the mission stations where I used to live. They had studied philosophy as a subject for their priesthood, and I used to discuss some philosophy with them. As I became familiar with philosophy, I realized that it must be due to philosophy, I realized that it must be due to philosophy and not only to theology that they (the priests) were so unconcerned with personal material comforts, so much so that they could come and live in trying conditions among our people. Also, the manner in which they could explain the scriptures-unlike those who studied theology only—impressed me so much that I made up my mind that if given a chance I would study the subject.

After completing my degree, I hope to do an honours in philosophy, thereafter to lecture either at a university or a theological seminary and to work in community development projects.