“That Food at School Was All We Had”: Mzansi Pained by Kids Growing Up in Townships

• 9A lady on TikTok was broken after she took a deep dive into the township life and how people have to make ends meet
• Ntombi Nkosi had prepared to have a read-a-thon at a school in a South African township when she learned about the community’s water crisis 
• From the emotional story she shared with her social media followers, more South Africans came forward to tell awareness stories 
• A young teacher, Nangamso Gqeba chatted to Briefly News about what she’s observed during her time as an educator in a township school

A South African lady, Ntombi Nkosi, was pained by the hardships faced by people living in townships. The lady opened a portal for more Mzansi citizens to share their stories about township life.

Ntombi visited a school in a South African township and was struck by the reality of people constantly fighting for survival.

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Mzansi pained by kids growing up in townships 

Book activist and feminist Ntombi Nkosi was crushed when she had to cancel a read-a-thon at a school located in one of South Africa’s townships. The principal told the Mzansi lady that all the learners were dismissed early because of a water crisis.

The community had been facing a debilitating water shortage, and the learners could not be cooked for at school. This worried the principal, who opened up to Ntombi that there was little to no chance of the kids eating at home, too, since most of their parents were unemployed.

The school’s population comprises children from a disadvantaged background who live in a squatter camp. Ntombi was even more devastated to learn that little girls who were being inappropriately abused and violated at home found refuge in school, but the water crisis has thrown them into the deep end:

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“We are in such a privileged position, and it’s easy for us to dismiss certain things because we are privileged and we are not aware of people’s lived experiences on a daily.”

Watch the video below:

Mzansi reacts to cruel reality of living in South African township

Briefly News spoke to a young teacher, Nangamso Gqeba, to understand what it’s like to be an educator in a township school:

“When it comes to disciplining those children, you have to understand their background. Not all of them will react the same to your teaching style because of what they experience in their homes. Be conscious of the environment. Those children want someone who is going to listen to them, someone who is going to understand their plight, and they want someone who is going to treat them with some sense of normalcy.”

After Ntombi shared her findings on TikTok, she opened a portal for other Mzansi citizens to share their stories of growing up in the townships:

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@Fenzo_K is disappointed that township life is still brutal:

"School lunch’s saved a lot of us back in the day. Same problems different generation."

@maitrindaba shared her lived experience:

"I was that child, I used news papers and socks during my periods. that food at school was all we had umgavava is what we called it."

@Rejoice finally understood her mom's motive:

"My mom used to bring all sort of kids home and I didn’t understand until we took them to their homes, she was their pillar giving them that hope of how life could be. She’s really special, those kids."

@sunshine shared:

"The principal of the school my mom teaches at always says he will never let the kids leave early because of where they are going, if there is no water he calls a water tank for those exact reasons!"

Teen drug addict living on streets with 40-year-old boyfriend remembers mom’s words

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Briefly News also reported that a 19-year-old drug addict reflected on her life living on the streets of Cape Town with her 40-year-old boyfriend. Emily Smith remembered her late mother’s words on choosing a better life for herself than the one she’s currently living.

Social media users prayed for Smith’s healing journey and shared their experiences with drug addiction. A clinical psychologist, Vuyolwethu Tuluma, shared insight into why the young lady chose the unfortunate lifestyle with Briefly News.

Source: Briefly News