THE LIFE OF A HUSTLING WOMAN WITH THREE CHILDREN

The was a woman called Zama age of 24 who was living with her grandmother and her two kids, her grandmother was her closest friend, a mother , a shoulder to lean on. Zama went to University in Durban after completing matric in 2013, she had her first born in 2015 the baby lived with her grandmother because she was a fulltime student. she used to live with six cousins (uncle's children), her cousins become jealousy with her because she was hunting for a better future and because she was the first person to pass matric with good levels and first person to go to University as she was the younger grandchild. They started calling her names and said she is the Favourite because she respects and love her grandmother so much. She got another child when she was doing her third year in University and that did not hold her back she continues with her studies and passed, cousin's become more jealousy. She become very close to her grandmother, after two year grandmother found out that she had uterus cancer and went to a surgery but it was too late the virus already spread to other internal organs she was forced to retire from work as she was a domestic worker to friendly colored family. The only person who took good care of her was her granddaughter who used to work for a dentist near her home after completing her studies. Zama used her lunch time to go clean and feed her grandmother until she recovered. She then got an internship from eThekwini Municipality where she worked as a project administrator intern, at that time her cousins did not even greet her, she used her stipend to renovate and buy furniture for her granny's RPD house, they hated her more and more they said she is eating her grandmothers money but still that couldn't change her attitude because she knew that what she was doing was for her grandmother. Her grandmother's life become very worse as she was taking chemotherapy at Albert Luthuli Hospital. Zama became pregnant with her third child and while she was pregnant family members and uncle start to hate her because they feed poison by Zama's cousins because of jealousy, they called a family meeting while granny was very sick and they said Zama is not taking good care of granny, she is beating her and she is not feeding her, granny didn't like that and after the meeting granny became sick high blood pressure and diabetes became high, Zama woke up in the night and take granny to hospital leaving her children alone at home, by that time Zama was seven months pregnant. She was told by the doctor that granny knew that she was on fourth stage of cancer where the is no cure/treatment to help, Zama become stressed because she knew if granny can die she will be abused or thrown away from home. Zama give birth to a seven months child because of stress, a day after she give birth to his third son. She discovered that her grandmother has passed away and everyone wish her child can die in hospital and said she is the one who killed her grandmother, Zama cried everyday and she was discharged a day before her granny's funeral when she got home no one spoke to her but she was not surprised as she was used to that, when she was busy doing washing she was called by one her cousins called Smangele to take her things she wants to lock the house, Zama called her grandmother's older sister and uncle to confirm that and why are they locking her out, they shouted her and told her to go out of the house with a premature baby she did that, she slept at neighbour house where she left the other two children the time she was at the hospital. she looked for a place to stay and she found it, she took what she bought with her money and left other things at neighbor's house. Cousins kept on bad mouthing her to everyone they come across at they even go to her fathers child older brother to bad mouth her and it came into her attention but she didn't bother about that what she did was she kept on praying for peace and a good new start of life, she was lucky because she was raised from a praying family. she was happy with her kids after getting herself a place to stay. She left her children everyday at her neighbour, she walked 5 km to leave the kids in the morning everyday and she payed for that, the was another daycare around where she stayed but she took her kids to Mamthembu because she also wanted to help her, her husband was not working because he was sick, his husband was the breadwinner so no ones bring food then Zama wanted to help at some point. she payed her very well she even sacrifice her needs to pay her first as she did not want more troubles. Mamthembu owed Zama money and Zama didn't bother her with money until the end of six months she asked if she can pay her even if it is not much money, Zama was visited by her father and he asked about the payment, as black South Africans its our culture to talk to child's parent before finalizing with the child, Zama's father called to ask what is holding the payment Mamthembu showed her true colours she shouted and told Zama's father that Zama have no thank you she helped her very much she didn't even calculate what she did for her as if she was asking that for free, it seems like Mamthembu did not want to pay for her couch she wanted them for free Zama is a cool person she did not raised a voice as she was told not to argue with older people by her grandmother, she respected her granny's wish. When she got to work she called Mamthembu to ask what happened what makes her angry and it was like Zama puts oil in a burning fire, she shouted her.

Zama knew whenever people through stones at you build with them and what is happening now is just a going storm the is something good coming her way. Zama always find something positive or a solution in every situation.