Ephraim Hlatshwayo

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I am deeply moved that such a grant has been made available for me. The grant came at a time when I need it most and without it I stood to lose another academic year (for I could not re-register in 1991 due to lack of financial assistance). So, the grant came as a great form of relief. I received it with great appreciation for it automatically solved my predicament in which I found myself. As a matter of intention, the grant will be spent towards my outstanding tuition and/or book fees for this academic year.

Who I Am and Where I Come From

I was born third in a family of six on 14 November 1968 in the eastern part of the province of Transvaal. Unfortunately not much exciting things can be said and/or written about me unless of course if the story is inevitably going to be distorted, since it is generally characterized by a sad history. In other words, I cannot legitimately claim I have led my life in a way I would, given a choice, have chosen to live. After all, how can a life characterized by poverty and the injustices resulting from, interalia, our country’s apartheid policy be expected to be satisfactory?

Currently, I live with my mother at a place called Orinocco “B” in the so-called Gazankulu homeland. It is one area, amongst many other areas in South Africa that has been ignored by almost all the world’s celebrities (especially those from abroad) during the conducting of the so-called “FACT-FINDING MISSIONS”. I take it for granted that it would be right for me to presume that what the FACT-FINDING MISSIONS have failed to find, inter alia, is the sad fact that sometime in 1984 the Sotho-speaking people and the Shangaan-speaking people engaged in faction fights; using traditional weapons such as spears and knobkerries to attack on another. As a result of the fights, many people lost their beloved breadwinners who could probably try to send their children to schools. It goes without saying that these fights were not necessarily caused by the “barbarism” of the people living there (as some people may choose to suggest), but rather due to the unfortunate misunderstanding inflicted on them by those who introduced as well as endeavoured to unjustly maintain the homeland system in South Africa. This is so because, as a matter of fact, the main reason that was fought for was the right of one group to have the borders of their homeland “respected” by the other group. This may sound foolish, but the police of the two respective homelands namely, Gazankulu and Lebowa actually had the audacity to support their so-called “people”. This probably angered the fighters, hence it took too long for the wars to stop—only after too many lives had been lost unnecessarily.

However, at this point in time, it is pleasing to be able to write the beautiful truth that there has never been any other unnecessary faction fights since 1984 because it would appear that many people have since realized the myth of the homeland system. There is no need for any Judge to tell us who is to blame for the said wars solely because prior to the introduction of the homeland system by the government people of different languages used to live amicably with one another—and then there was the necessary peace and harmony. Furthermore, most people in the area still adhere to the African traditional style of living. Meanwhile, most of the area’s breadwinners have either been retrenched from jobs or they work the cities and towns far away from their homes—such that mostly due to the meager wages they work for, they cannot afford to see their families frequently. This place is an hour’s drive from the biggest eastern Transvaal town of Nelspruit. But, nevertheless, many people from the place work in either Johannesburg or Pretoria.

My Family Background

Both my parents are teachers. Unfortunately, due to circumstances that are unknown to me, my parents marriage broke down and, as a consequence, they divorced in January 1982. During the divorce case, the honourable presiding judge granted custody of five minor children, including myself, to my mother. As it is usually the case with broken families (so we learn in Social Science texts), my parents’ divorce was no exception, we suffered financially as a result of the court’s failure (as the “legal guardian of all persons”) to take the necessary adequate precautions in ensuring that we would be essentially maintained by my father although we would not be living with him. Hence the financial problems were inevitable.

The Financial Circumstances of My Family

My family’s financial circumstances has always been a mockery to my parent’s profession. That is to say that I have reason to believe that the unjust inequalities inflicted too many black teachers (i.e. of being underpaid and overworked by the state) has been responsible for our suffering. This is so became even prior to the said divorce, my parents had always had to struggle to make ends meet. For example my mother had to knit jerseys almost every night which she sold as a strategy to ensure that we always had something to eat. Both my parents' salaries until they divorced, never reached a thousand rand per month. My parents could not afford luxuries, so we tended to live in accordance with the extreme basic needs for example, we did not have a car or television—those were regarded as luxuries only affordable only to a handful of the so-called “well-to-do-families”. It was just one predicament we found ourselves in—and of course there were many other families in similar or even worse circumstances. Unfortunately, many families still find themselves in similar or worse situation in view of the above.

My School and Post-School Background

I started schooling at the age of seven I 1975 at Thulamahashe township. The school’s name was named after the name of the township itself which in turn was named after one prominent Chief, Thulamahashe. It is no exaggeration to state that I used to top the classes by obtaining position one in tests during my early years of schooling. At the age of eleven (in 1979) I proceeded to Zwide highter primary school where I left after completing standard five I 1981. The following year I enrolled for standard seven and due to my parents’ divorce case results I went to live with my grandmother (my mother’s mother) about three hundred kilometers away from my old township. But, nevertheless, I managed to pass standard eight with a distinction in the following subjects: English, Tsonga, History and Religious Education. I had failed Mathematics hopelessly, however. In 1985, I failed standard nine at Muzila high school solely because I had failed Mathematics, Agriculture and Biology, although I had passed the other four subjects with distinctions again. Perhaps the minister of Education in Gazankulu should not have passed a rule that compelled every pupil to take Mathematics at all the homelands’ high schools regardless of whether or not they could understand it. Anyway, I was subsequently condoned to do standard ten. But, unfortunately because I had to continue my schooling at Orhovelani high school, I was unable to do my matric the following year due to the refusal of my new principal to recognize the fact that I had been condoned, justifying it by saying my capabilities and abilities “were unknown” to him…What I like about the particular principal, nonetheless, is that, being an expert and a highly-learned Mathematician himself, he chose to defy the minister of Education’s rule that we were all to be compelled to do Mathematics. Instead, at his school alone in the entire homeland then, we were taught Business Economics which I passed without difficulties. I ultimately passed matric after a single attempt in 1987.

In 1988, although I would have liked to proceed to University, I had to stay at home and practice teaching as an assistant teacher at one lower primary school. This was an attempt to accumulate some funds in order that I would be able to go University the following year. Unfortunately, the lady teacher whom I had been employed to replace while she spent her maternity leave returned to take her place. Finding that I was left without a job I resorted to writing. I wrote two novels in Tsonga which up to now have not been published since they still need to be improved. Sometime in September I attended Basic Typing Lessons at a government-funded school in Tzanean. I received a fifteen-day typing was and still is in order that I could type my own novels as well as other essential texts. At least, in the interim, I do type about forty-five words a minute.

In 1989, under extremely difficult circumstances, I came to enroll as a Law student at the University of Durban-Westville. The fees were high such that I had to study without a single book at all. As a result thereof, I was only able to pass two courses to which I gained credits namely Political Science and English 1 T. The following year (1990) I came back to repeat my first year. Again I could only pass two courses namely Private Law 1 and Interpretation of Statutes since a similar or worse situation (still) prevailed. I was not even able to pay all my tuition fees that year due to lack of financial assistance although I had applied to various donors in time.

In 1991, however, I failed to register again with the University. How could I afford to register when I still owed the university an amount of R1500 towards my 1990’s tuition fees? Then, to add more pain to my injuries, I failed to find a job (any job anywhere) probably due to the economic situation of the country. So, again I learned how to operate computers and subsequently wrote another novel, this time in English and the title being: You Can Do Me Nothing. A point of interest in this regard is that this particular novel has already been evaluated by Heinemann Educational Boleswa in Botswana who say it is a good novel, but that I need to make certain suggested alterations in order that it could be considered suitable for publication into forming part of the African Writers Series. The problem at this point in time is that I do not have a computer of my own. I cannot raise the necessary estimated minimum amount of R2000 to buy one computer in which I could write during my spare time. This is so because I already have dreamed a number of different other ideas for other novels which I intended writing should facilities be made available.

My Community Involvement

Although I would like to be involved in several community projects I can only avail myself to a limited extent. At least this year, as early as January 6th, I was so actively involved in the University’s Student Representative Council’s organized Orientation Team (O’Team). Meanwhile, on the other hand, I have already pledged myself to assist in teaching during classes for the illiterate or semi-illiterate workers of the University namely the SUPERCARE WORKERS whom the University cannot do without since their services ensure that the premises and buildings of the University are always kept clean and tidy, thereby ensuring that there are no health hazards that would otherwise threaten the existing environment conducive for studying.

Inevitably, once I start practicing as a lawyer I envisage a situation where I will be able to help large numbers of the community by inter alia, availing legal representation to those who cannot afford the high legal costs.