16-Year-Old Breadwinner in GBV Home Becomes Single Mom Looking for Love in Wrong Places

• A Pietermaritzburg-born lady did not get to enjoy her childhood as she became a breadwinner at the age of 16
• Ntobeko Mafu, who is living her answered prayers, confessed to being her ancestors' wildest dream and one of the strongest single mothers she knows 
• Because of the dysfunctional nature of her upbringing, Mafu looked for love in all the wrong places and got pregnant at a young age
• Mafu was named one of Briefly News' Women of Wonder: Moms Singlehandedly Running Families and Businesses for her exceptional chicken farm, Madam Clucks a Lot

Author, poultry farmer, breadwinner and single mother, Ntobeko Mafu, was able to rise from the ashes and become an unwavering flame.

At only 16, Mafu had to stand firm and become the breadwinner at home while enduring pregnancy.

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CEO Ntobeko Mafu experienced GBV during childhood

CEO, author and public speaker Ntobeko Mafu is a successful businesswoman and the founder of Madame Clucks A Lot, a poultry farming business. YoungStar Entrepreneur recognised her excellent work and named her among the top 10 finalists of its Class of 2022. At 21, she was the youngest shortlisted candidate out of 700 women.

The now-23-year-old Ntobeko Mafu has one of the most inspiring stories to ever come out of Mzansi. The resilient lady had to abandon her childhood early in life to take care of her family after her father died.

Mafu was first scarred by the dysfunctional nature of her upbringing, where she experienced GBV firsthand in her household, which led her to conceive her son unexpectedly. The lady told Briefly News how she got pregnant:

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"I grew up in a GBV-based home where my dad abused my mom and every other woman in his life, so much so that I became a people pleaser and sought out to be loved in the wrong places. It showed up everywhere: in family relations, friendships and the relationship that led to my teenage pregnancy."

The young lady found warmth in a temporary relationship that brought her a permanent gift. While trying to come to terms with her new life as a teen mom, Mafu's father fell ill, and she had to become his caregiver for seven months. 

16-Year-old single mom becomes breadwinner at home

Mother, breadwinner and caregiver, Mafu, wore those multiple hats with pride to please her family. When her father died, things got even more challenging for the teen mom, who had to look for a job in retail. At 17, she scored a cashier position at Pick n Pay to feed her family.

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With no support from the father of her child, Mafu had to make do with what she had. The young lady told Briefly News about her journey and how she managed to stay resilient during tough times:

"When my dad passed on and I became the head of a child-headed household, with a baby while still a 16-year-old baby myself, I believe that was the time I was challenged and desperate. At that moment, my thoughts and positive mindset were the only thing that helped me overcome that period. I had to develop resilience because I had people depending on me. Nothing was easy at all, but in the end, I overcame it."

Teenage moms get shamed for falling pregnant at a young age. The young mothers are labelled as reckless, but Mafu learned to deal with the criticism that comes with being a young mother early:

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"My response to criticism of single parenthood is to ignore it simply. We suffer a lot on our own, enough emotionally for me to entertain suffering due to other people. Single mothers in South Africa get bashed daily, yet we are the same people expected to singlehandedly build a nation. 

"I avoid negativity and conflict to avoid carrying resentment that may hinder me from raising my son and will make the moments where I suffer emotionally worse. I do this deliberately for my mental well-being, so much so that I carry absolutely everything regarding my son alone without the support of his paternal family or father, but I will still offer them the child when they ask for him, and I don't make noise asking them for anything."

Millionaire in the making: Teen mom Ntobeko Mafu's business journey

Mafu's tough life inspired her to write a self-help book titled Letters to Anyone Who Needs to Hear This: Notes from Me to You. The author explained why she wrote the book:

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" 'Letters To Whoever Needs To Hear This: Notes From Me To You' speaks of building and nurturing your emotional intelligence so that you don't carry childhood trauma into adulthood."

The book sales helped the ambitious lady fund her business, Madame Clucks a Lot, a company that is a beacon of sustainable, free-range broiler production and organic crop farming with a commitment to training and development:

"We grow non-genetically modified broilers and organic crops for consumption and train people to do this themselves. The company began its operations in 2019 informally and was formally registered in 2021. It has fed over 3 000 families, trained 195 individuals, and created permanent employment for seven people."

The successful entrepreneur, who admits that her work takes up a lot of her time, said that  she always makes time for her son no matter what:

"I find a balance between my career and motherhood by deliberately creating it. My life gets hectic, so I have to schedule off days, schedule quality time with my son and take the scheduling seriously, which sometimes means being unavailable at certain times."

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Mafu is grateful for her journey, even though the beginning was tough. She admits that everything she went through paved the way for a beautifully written success story:

"I am proud that despite having all the odds against me and facing all the criticism in the world, I was able to find myself in motherhood. I found my strength and I became empowered because I was an outcast. Being outcast led me to become a global entrepreneur and food security activist.

"I stand before the world as an internationally renowned facilitator, presenter and mentor who holds two human resources management qualifications alongside 14 business short courses completed. I am an author and public speaker who recently just refurbished her whole home, all at 23. I am a millionaire in the making, and none of this would have happened had I not had my child when I did."

Ntobeko Mafu continues to do great things. She represented SA in Thailand (2023) and Germany (2024) when she attended seminars for young people in business. The single mom is reaching for the stars, proving that her baby is a constant blessing in her life.

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Single mom invests in property, buys 3 cars

Briefly News also interviewed Omontle Thato Moremong as part of our Women of Wonder: Moms Singlehandedly Running Families and Businesses project. Omontle is a single mother who built a successful business while overcoming challenges with her children's father.

The powerhouse momma prioritises her children's future through investments and trust funds while also dealing with the pressures of single motherhood and societal judgements.

Source: Briefly News