Chapter 17 - Schooling in Alexandra

In 1956, I went to Holy Cross School to start my Standard 6. However, I was refused admission because I came from a rural school. Standard 6 learners wrote an external examination. Most learners used to fail. The principal was afraid that I was going to increase the failure rate. I was instead demoted to Standard 5. My mother was upset by the decision. She tried to persuade me to go to Alexandra High School. I refused because I used to attend Holy Cross before moving to Pietersburg.

I passed my Standard 5 and was promoted to Standard 6, which I passed with flying colours. This proved that the education I received in Pietersburg was good. During that time, our family was blessed with twin girls, Magdeline and Angeline. It was a difficult time for us.

My mom needed assistance with the twins and so I used to help help her. When the babies got sick, I would help my mom take them to a doctor in Harrow Road, Johannesburg. We used a Putco bus to get there. She would...


To read more on what Rose and her mother used to do on the trip taking the twins to the doctor in Johannesburg; buy the book at: https://www.amazon.com/Memories-Life-Alexandra-Township-Know/dp/1483693805 (Amazon) or http://www.takealot.com/the-memories-of-my-life-in-alexandra-township-i-know/PLID36786983 (Takealot).

Chapter 16 - Tuberculosis Infection

Our family of ten children and two parents lived in a two-roomed house in Alexandra. As a result, my younger brother Jonas contracted Tuberculosis.  The whole family had chest X-rays taken at the local Alexandra Clinic. Fortunately, the results were negative, except for Jonas.

A nurse was assigned to administer medication to Jonas. The medication was in the form of an intramuscular injection. This was a problem for Jonas. The nurse used to arrive early in the morning. Jonas would run away, down Hofmeyer Street.  He ran until he reached Twentieth Avenue.  His friends would be assigned to go and fetch him. The poor nurse would wait until he was brought home. He still required people to restrain him whilst the nurse administered medication. After medication, Jonas would cry for a long time.

My mother had compassion for my brother. She arranged for Jonas to ...

To read more on what Rose's mother arranged for Jonas to escape the 'torture' he was going through at the time; buy the book at: https://www.amazon.com/Memories-Life-Alexandra-Township-Know/dp/1483693805 (Amazon) or http://www.takealot.com/the-memories-of-my-life-in-alexandra-township-i-know/PLID36786983 (Takealot).

My younger brother, Modupi Jonas Rakoma,
 who once had TB infection.

Chapter 15 - Going Back to Alexandra Township

After completing Standard 5 in Sekuto village, I had to go back to Alexandra to do Standard 6, which was an external examination. There were no Standard 6 schools in Sekuto. The nearest school was in a village called Ga-Mothapo, which was far from my home village. The only form of transportation was an ox wagon.

I had to go back to Johannesburg at the end of 1955. My mom arranged transportation to take me to Johannesburg. There was a man who had a van which he used to transport people to and fro Johannesburg. My friends were sad to see me leave. I was also sad.
Mr Motimele, the van driver, arrived in the evening to fetch me. I sat at the back of the van with other passengers also going to Johannesburg. The trip was long and bumpy. We arrived in the morning. My family and friends were happy to see me again.

There were two gangster groups in Alexandra at the time, ...

To read more on which gangster groups were terrorizing the township at the time and the chaos they used to bring, buy the book at: https://www.amazon.com/Memories-Life-Alexandra-Township-Know/dp/1483693805 (Amazon) or http://www.takealot.com/the-memories-of-my-life-in-alexandra-township-i-know/PLID36786983 (Takealot).

Chapter 14 - The Livestock and Grains

My grandparents had livestock. My brothers used to assist my grandfather in looking after it. They had goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, and chickens.
One Saturday morning, one ox called Rooiman came charging after me. I did not see it coming. All I remember is that I was knocked onto the ground. I quickly ran to the house. I was very scared, but thankfully, I was not seriously injured.

The oxen were used to plough the fields. November was planting time. Mealies, cereals, and beans were planted. January and February were hoeing months. I used to assist my grandparents hoeing in order to gain experience. April was harvest time for maize and marula fruit.

My grandmother used to brew marula and made beer from it for my grandfather. She also used to make juice from marula. It was just like colddrink, very delicious. The dried core of marula was then split open with a stone. Inside the core...



To read more on what they used to produce from the many grains and livestock they had, buy the book at: https://www.amazon.com/Memories-Life-Alexandra-Township-Know/dp/1483693805 (Amazon) or http://www.takealot.com/the-memories-of-my-life-in-alexandra-township-i-know/PLID36786983 (Takealot).

Chapter 13 - The Tragic Incident

Kgopa was back looking for his wife after two months. When my brothers and I arrived home from school one day, we found twenty dead chickens laid in a row. Kgopa had killed all our meat. We were shocked and scared. Kgopa was standing at the gate like a bodyguard. We ran to my maternal grandmother's house nearby, and she gave us food to eat.

My grandfather called the police, who then took Kgopa to a mental hospital. He was discharged from the hospital after a few months. He went back to be under his father's care in Maripa Thekwini. After some time, his father became tired of looking after his mad son. Kgopa's father was a widower. The stress of looking after his mad son took its toll.

One evening, whilst Kgopa was sleeping, his father locked the hut where he was sleeping from the outside with a padlock. He...

My maternal grandmother, Rosina Mokgadi Manyama. Myself and the other kids
used to run to my grandmother's house for safety afraid of the mentally disturbed, Kgopa.

To find out what Kgopa's father was up to, buy the book at: https://www.amazon.com/Memories-Life-Alexandra-Township-Know/dp/1483693805 (Amazon) or http://www.takealot.com/the-memories-of-my-life-in-alexandra-township-i-know/PLID36786983 (Takealot).

Chapter 12 - My Grandparents' Home

My grandparents' huts were surrounded by fig trees that acted as a fence.  We gained access to the yard through a wooden gate. The yard was very big; there were aloe trees, a mielie field, and a pumpkin garden.

One Sunday, my friend and I saw a green snake wrapped around one of the fig trees. We quickly called my grandmother. When my grandmother came out, the snake hid itself. I was very scared that night because I thought the snake would come out in the hut whilst we were sleeping.

My grandparents had a dog called Tom. It was a black-and-white dog. Tom was a friendly dog but not to strangers. When I arrived late after dark, it never used to bark at me. My friends, however, did not enjoy such pleasures because Tom used to bark at them. As a result, they were reluctant to visit me. They were also afraid of my grandmother; she was noisy and cheeky. I used to go and play with my friends.

One of the games we used to play was kgwele. The game entailed...

To find out more about the game called kgwele, buy the book at: https://www.amazon.com/Memories-Life-Alexandra-Township-Know/dp/1483693805 (Amazon) or http://www.takealot.com/the-memories-of-my-life-in-alexandra-township-i-know/PLID36786983 (Takealot).

Chapter 11 - The Nearby Farm Known as Ga-Broer

We used to live near a farm. Once a year, the farmer would let us come and collect firewood from his farm in exchange for the hard labor. We had to remove weeds from his farming fields. This took twelve hours. We started at 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The following day. The following day, we would go and collect the firewood.

The farm was dense. It had a few wild animals, such as hare, monkeys and springboks. There were also snakes and lizards. I was scared and followed my friend wherever he went. We went searching for dry branches, stems, and trees. The farmer only gave us a day to collect wood. For lunch, we had porridge and spinach, which we brought with us from home. While we were collecting firewood, I saw a monkey, and I was scared. My friend comforted and encouraged me.

We worked systematically in that we collected wood and placed it in a central area and then moved it to the gate. The firewood was arranged in such a way that it can be carried over our head. Each girl had bundles of firewood. Every girl had someone from home helping her to carry the firewood. My grandmother came to help me carry the firewood home. The farmer did not permit them to enter the farm. They waited for us outside the fence.

My grandmother was not happy with my collection. She said...

To read more why Rose's grandmother wasn't happy with her collection buy the book at: https://www.amazon.com/Memories-Life-Alexandra-Township-Know/dp/1483693805 (Amazon) or http://www.takealot.com/the-memories-of-my-life-in-alexandra-township-i-know/PLID36786983 (Takealot).