Musician shares pain of family’s ordeal
Birth of granddaughter celebrated as daughter seeks help for drugs
IT’S A heartbreaking ordeal for any parent and family to go through. An ordeal which legendary, multi-platinum selling South African musician Blondie Makhene described as a deeply painful matter.
His youngest daughter, Gontse, 28, was reported missing last month, with her actress sister Letoya posting a touching tribute on Instagram detailing how much their family loved and missed her.
Only to find that Gontse – a drug addict – re-emerged a few weeks ago having given birth prematurely to a baby girl at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto.
“She didn’t even know we were looking for her… but her sister’s (Facebook) post found her somehow through the universe,” Makhene said yesterday.
Letoya, who is a singer and actress in Generations: The Legacy, had posted a collage of pictures of her sister, with a caption which read: “On this day, 28 years ago… our mother, Agnes, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl… they named her Gontse.
“We’ve been trying to get hold of her for weeks, with no luck. Instead of celebrating my sister’s life, I find myself feeling so sad – I can’t stop crying.
“So I pulled out these pics of her in healthier times – glowing and beautiful as ever. We pray for you every day… we’ve never stopped loving you. This collage is me celebrating you… I love you so much – it hurts. May you find the peace and happiness you’ve been searching for, for so many years.”
Those were the words Makhene said touched his daughter, and brought her home.
Makhene is a proud grandfather and said his new granddaughter – who brings his total number of grandchildren to seven – was named Iman, which means confidence, trust and faith.
“She (the newborn) still has withdrawal symptoms (because of the drugs) but she is almost with us… it’s a painful matter. I’ve been crying since the baby was born, maybe because I’ve reached this age and to see a little person like that…” he said, his voice breaking.
But Makhene maintained that the little girl was doing well for a premature baby and the family were looking forward to bringing her home. They have also found a minder to look after the infant.
It was important for families affected by drugs to speak out, and it shouldn’t be seen as a taboo which wasn’t ever spoken about, he added.
“This issue of drugs is a national matter… we think we’re justified to go work away from our children for long periods and not give them enough of our time. Well, this is what happens when the cat’s away,” he added sadly.
He said Gontse was doing well and would be seeing a psychiatrist.