MINAH speaks to Strongest Story on unfinished business, seeing yourself as a bus driver, and being better together…

“South Africa had just been declared a free country and everyone could vote. While that was exciting; there were still many challenges that children in the 90’s encountered. Added to those complexities, my parents had divorced when I was 14 years old and I was a single mother of 2 by the age of 21. It was 21 years later when I got to finish my unfinished business. At the age of 40, I eventually got my Matric and then even went on to do a post-grad diploma in Business from UCT. This is something that I am really proud of doing. Today, as the CEO of Beautiful Gate, based in Lower Crossroads, where I grew up: I now get to give back to children who were just like me.

 Let me tell you a part of my story…

For all my life I was a straight “A” student and then I failed matric because I was pregnant. 

As an “A” student I had high expectations of myself and when this big disappointment happened, I felt like it was the end. It just seemed so hard to stand up and walk again. For this reason; it wasn’t easy for me to see my child as a blessing. I felt like I had failed and as a single young mother - what was I going to do? I had to ask myself, “What options do I have?” I think often as mothers we feel like we don’t have any other options, but yet women are such creative human beings. I became an entrepreneur. I won’t tell you what I was selling (laughs embarrassingly!) And so, my situation was that I was a mother going back to school and at the same time running a small business to ensure that my kids had food. It was tough. While I was grappling with raising kids on my own, I started accepting that this was all my life would ever be. I think that a lot of the kids in the township feel that if they have a child, well then that is it. But I want them to know that it is not it… there is more to life than that “failure”. 

 Over time I started to face the truth that failing is not the end, that when I make a mistake, it’s okay to be disappointed but it shouldn’t destroy me completely. Of course, it’s not easy to stand up after a fall, but it is necessary.

 So , I joined YWAM (Youth With A Mission). I couldn’t even speak English at the time and had to teach myself. I adopted the attitude “if I don’t try , I will never know if I am capable.” I was starting to learn that failing is not the end, we can learn from our mistakes and see them as opportunities for change. I’d say to the youth of today “You need have a goal. Set your own goals, and not the goals that people have set for you. Passing matric is one thing, but not everybody is able to do that. Don’t stop there, ask yourself, what can you do?”

 As I was learning these lessons, I had to decide what I wanted in life, and I knew I wasn’t going to choose just any man to be my husband. I knew what kind of man I wanted to have walk alongside me for the rest of my life and help me raise my children. It was then that I met my husband Brian (it’s a story about cake – but for another time!) and we got married. 

My experiences have taught me to be an encourager and I now see myself as a bus driver: Some people are ready to jump onto the bus and go with you, others will take a while longer. Make sure that while you keep moving forward, you are always encouraging those on the side, or those far behind, to jump on. We are better together!”

Minah’s views on the reality of living in the townships during Covid-19: “The physical lack of space makes proper social distancing (not to mention self-isolation for those who have contracted Coronavirus) impossible. The risk of infection is everywhere. So, we have a situation where it isn’t safe for the children at school, and it isn’t safe for them at home, either. Playing outside the shacks exposes them to daily incidents of violence and shooting.

And five months have gone by already. Unfortunately, not all of the children will keep up, or even return to school once lockdown ends. Some will drop out of school, some will be drawn into crime, and some will become pregnant…

Coronavirus, lockdown, and the far-reaching effects of widespread unemployment have tested the usual resilience of the people in the townships to breaking point. The reality is that when people lose their jobs and families are left without income for long periods, other social problems emerge. Previously financially and emotionally stable homes are no longer stable, and it is (mostly) the women and children who pay the price. There is a general sense of fear and fatigue in the townships – people don’t know what to do, and many feel that ‘no-one cares about us’. They keep their hope alive by remembering the saying in Xhosa “kuzolunga” things will eventually turn out alright.”