Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
‘I WAS SO SCARED TO TELL MY MOM’
NOBENATHI Hluloni was just 14 years old when she fell pregnant.
“I was so scared to tell my mom,” she said.
“She was angry at me, and my father kicked me out of the house.”
Nobenathi has a four-year-old son named Kamvalethu, yet her father still won’t speak to her.
Her son’s father denied that Kamvalethu was his, she added.
He was struck by a police van in Ocean View and died.
Nobenathi had to raise Kamvalethu on her own.
“At first I blamed myself, like what have I done, he’s a mistake,” she said.
“But I should be the one that is taking care of him.
“I should be a real mom to him. I have to be strong for my child.”
Nobenathi returned to school after giving birth, but fell ill in Grade
12 and wasn’t able to write her final examinations.
She wants to attend night school this year and complete her Grade 12 certificate.
Her dream career would be one in the tourism and hospitality industry.
“Girl Pride has helped me to gain my self-esteem back,” she said.
“I have courage and strength from being with other girls who have been through the same thing.
“Now I’m going to start looking for a job.”