In a bid to get more kids reading, Parent24 has partnered with FunDza to bring you exciting, relevant and authentically South African books and stories. The FunDza Literacy Trust is a non-profit organisation dedicated to growing educated, engaged and empowered young South Africans.

Scroll down below to read the first chapter of this story in English, and then click through to FundZa's mobile site for the rest.

Chapter 1

Had my cousin Samu kept her big mouth shut my parents would think I was in medical school right now. They would still be on their mission to select an equally educated, ‘mkhwenyana’ – son-in-law – sometime soon.

But Samu has blown my cover. Like a CIA operative she spied on me, delivering the information back to the ‘headquarters’ a.k.a my parents. She is an informant. Now my parents know, and have threatened to cut me off if I don’t come home immediately.

But what are the chances of my parents keeping up my allowance now that they have found out what I have done? It will be a struggle to pay the rent and fund my lifestyle without the allowance they send me each month. But I share this cheap apartment and I’m working part-time, so I do have savings for a rainy day.

Nevertheless, I feel I do have to go home, and hope I can make them understand why I did what I did.

OMW. What if they decide that I should skip tertiary education altogether!? Try to marry me off to some conservative Zulu boy who has just graduated from law school, and believes ‘a woman’s place is in the kitchen’!

Perhaps that is the reason my father has been silent since he heard my whereabouts from Samu. Perhaps right now he is scouting for someone and planning to ship me off in exchange for cows.  Is Mom helping him? She always does his bidding, never once protecting me from the traditionalist she calls a husband.

My screen lights up with a text from Samu.

Click here to read the full story

This story was created by Simamkele Matuntula

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