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There are many things which I like so I can count all. I like to be a married women with a few family like one boy and two girls. I can give them better hood (neighbourhood),
better education etc. And I think to buy a beautiful car for my son like Sierra Toyota that I thought always if his driving he would remember me
MY DREAMS
I am a women of 24 years. I am old enough now, but, I don't think I can't fail to my dream. I could not finish the school I left it in standard six because of problems.
I wish to be a married women but not a house wife. I like to be a working women. If I get a man to marry me I will be happy if we have a true love. I don't like to marry a rich man because if you found somebody who is already wealthy, sometimes he don't care about you. After a few month we married we decide to divorce. So it easy if you found a poor
man that to form a nice business. So if also we together its very hard to get divorce.
I prefer to marry a poor man then we start the business together, and have a big house for us and our children I will to have only two children one boy and one girl. I wish I can support them and teach them in a good way. Some of the weekend I would hope if I enjoy one of my weekend in Park or hotel. To show my children what is a love.
According to the work I hope to be a police women. Because I love a community. So now my aim to be a good person that means even a communicate they would talk be careful about me.
CONCLUSION
/ enjoy to do all my project because I learn so many things like to talk English well, and it gave me a good idea to do a lot of work. Soon I got my certificate I know I can found a good job like to be a police women, that my aim was there.
Yes I can be a police women. / enjoyed doing the project because it made me think very hard. If I did this project my opinion came happy and I think next time I will become a writer of newspaper or daily news
Cindy is the third learner whose portrait and autobiography I present.
5.7 Portrait:Cindy
Cindy was born in 1969 in the rolling hills of the Transkei. She grew up on a farm that belonged to 'White Boer farmers'. A small garden patch was given to them to do their own gardening. Cindy describes the farm as a place where she had freedom to wander into the wide-open spaces of the forests of God's glory land. She was able freely to pick the eggs from the forests, catch mice and cook, shoot birds and enjoy a scrumptious meal.
She enjoyed schooling although her teachers enforced much corporal punishment. Cindy failed Standard Six three times and was forced to leave school. Cindy did not have many
opportunities to understand the facts about life. She grew up being ill-informed about female issues such as menstruation, conception, pregnancy and birth control.
Cindy shared a home, which was basically one room, with fifteen family members on the farm in Transkei. She experienced emotional abuse as she witnessed her father traumatize her mother and physically abuse her in his inebriated state. Her mother worked tirelessly to support and provide for the family.
She fell pregnant very early in life after sleeping with her first boyfriend. Cindy later settled into family life and had another daughter. Unfortunately, Cindy's husband was an alcoholic who mentally, emotionally and physically abused her. She was exasperated by the excruciating physical abuse from a husband who drank and demanded sexual favours at his whim and fancy. She was forced to abandon her children and run away in search of freedom. She worked as a domestic worker for Indian families at Reservoir Hills. She began working from 1993. Cindy's reasons for attending literacy was to:
...learn hard words for English. I want to know how to read and write English. I want to improve my English. I want to get a certificate. I'm learning hard to get a certificate to get a nice job. Also when you come to literacy it's not like when you stay in the house and see the four walls, at least you meet friends.
She joined Asoka Adult Basic Education Co-operative in 1996 and remained in the programme for four years. She wrote the Level 3 Independent Board Examinations and did not obtain a pass. She participated in the pantomime 'Cinders' and the Afro-fusion dance 'Asimbonanga' . Cindy began classes as a shy conservative learner but eventually enjoyed participating in class plays, skits and discussions.
In 2002 she was framed for the murder of her employer, arrested and sent to prison. She remained in prison as an awaiting trial prisoner for nine months. The first telephone call that Cindy made from prison was to me, as she had no relatives in Durban. My visit to the prison with fellow learners uplifted her spirits. While in prison she participated in dance
Asimbonga- is a song by Johnny Clegg, which describes the feelings of the Black oppressed people who were exiled and imprisoned and gained their freedom after democracy was given when Nelson Mandela was released. The learners did an Afro-fusion dance to the song.
drama, which was part of the rehabilitation programme. In prison her belief in God made her strong and resolute about her innocence in a crime that she did not commit. During her trial she felt that she was capable of expressing her own story and refused legal representation. She was acquitted without any charges. She was released in March 2003.
All Cindy's possessions including her personal identity document were taken by her previous employer and not handed back to her. While she was in prison she had no change of clothes, towel, toiletries or money. When she returned from prison, her employers had moved house and took with them all her life's belongings. Cindy was devastated especially since she had no personal identity documents, clothes or money.
However, in the greater scheme of her life, she was grateful to have her freedom.
Bongiwe assisted with accommodation and learners and friends from Mpolweni and Reservoir Hills helped Cindy with clothes and other essentials. Cindy joined the Siyakhana adult classes in March 2003. In July 2003 Cindy returned to Transkei with her boyfriend.
Cindy's strong inclination to be a Sangoma is demonstrated on her cover. As a child she experienced the trauma of witnessing her mother being brutally abused by her alcoholic father and as an adult she herself became the victim of severe physical, psychological and emotional oppression by her husband. Religion has always held a promise that she hung onto to give her hope for a better future. Even while she was imprisoned for a deed she did not commit, she was steadfast in her belief that the Lord would set her free.
Throughout her stay in prison she held a very strong presence of mind, always making prayer her priority. Her greatest ambition was to become a sangoma and she was partially initiated into such a practice when she was rudely interrupted by her arrest and imprisonment.
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