Mpume:My hero

Mpume was born in a village called Port Petersburg KZN. Her mother died two days after she gave birth to Mpume due to medical technicalities. Her father died in a car accident when she was five. She went from house to house and her aunt eventually started taking care of her.  She had no siblings but lived with her cousins. In 1996, she started at public school. On her first day, she got in a car in a car accident. Neck injuries and other issues left her in the hospital for nearly 11 months. She eventually got better but her family was constantly angry with her. She was blamed for her mothers death as well.

 

She continued in school, but recieved no help from her family. She worked after school to pay her school fees and other costs. In 2000, she had a bad fall which left her unable to hear or walk. She was still treated poorly, even in a wheelchair. After five years of struggle, she was miraculously healed when she went to a church. She believed in God and praised Him for healing her. Life was not easy, but she remained faithful to God and kept her purity.  She had many struggles and financial issues, but she was making it through school somehow.

 

 In 2007, she lived with her uncle and babysat her cousin. He promised her payment but never followed through. She looked for a job in the city and on her way home, she was gang-raped.  Five men had their way with this beautiful girl. One said to kill her and another said to leave her there. That night, she was left naked by the river to die. A man found her and took her to the police station where her uncle angrily picked her up. She began to tell her uncle the story, but he didn’t have time for it. After that, Mpume didn’t want to tell anyone. She tried to forget about it, but her body was changing. Her uncle saw it and kicked her out of the house. Finally, she went to the police station and told her story. The social worker there wanted to adopt her. Mpume was treated well with that family and they took her to the hospital.  
She was HIV positive.

She was pregnant.

Her response- “I accept it.”

 

No one counseled her. Her new family started treating her like a dog. Everyone urged her to get an abortion. She was only 17. She didn’t know who the father was. The baby may contract HIV.

 

So many voices. She was scared and confused.
“what did I do to deserve this? I was a virgin. Why me?

But she kept praying.

On December 29, 2008, Busisiwe (which means “my blessing”) was born. For awhile, Mpume didn’t love her baby because it only reminded her of the pain and shame. Her adoptive family tried to take the baby because they said Mpume was sick and couldn’t raise a child. Mpume tried to commit suicide. After she got out of the hospital, she went to a shelter. She started working as a teacher there when she developed a cough. She was diagnosed withTB. She stayed in a hospice for 10 days and was released. That is when she came to Nkosi’s Haven.

 

Recently, she has fallen in love with her baby girl. Mpume is almost 20 years old and her daughter is two years old.  Busisiwe is HIV negative, another reason for her to trust and praise God.  
Mpume lives here at Nkosi’s Haven, she came here weak and skinny. Now she is fine. She thanks God for this place and how He used Gail, the founder, to save her and her baby. She is still ridiculed by many people but she presses on and always praises God. She has incredible faith. Each day, she chooses to be thankful. “I’m living with HIV and I am happy.”

 

When I asked Mpume about the perpetrators and how she feels, she said, “I have let it go. I cannot judge them, Only God can judge. He is the only reason we are all here in the first place. I keep praising God that He has given me and my daughter life.”

 

Mpume continues to have faith in God and keep her eyes on Him. But there are still negative affects from her traumatic life. She has not been able to trust or love a man since then. She is concerned about her daughter asking, “Who is my father?” God is her father.

 

God continues to place dreams in Mpume’s heart. She wants to give her daughter the best life. She doesn’t want to always be receiving, she wants to be giving. She wants to get a job so she can get a house and security for her daughter. Even if she dies, she wants her daughter to be stable. Mpume loves God and her daughter so much.  She also wants to help teenagers. Her advice: “If you have problems, don’t kill yourself or your baby. You have to face it.” She knows telling her story is helping others. She pleads with others not to give up
“It’s not over until God says it’s over!”

Mpume has overcome so much and she continues to stay positive and praises God without ceasing. She always brings everything back to God. “We have to stop complaining and start giving thanks to God. It is not because we are clever that we have these blessings, it is because of God’s love. We have to pray. We have to worship.”

 

And we did. Last night, I sat in a room with many women, my friends, all HIV positive. They praised God, they sang their hearts out to God, they danced before God. It was one of the most amazing things I have been a part of. They praise God and love God inspite of all that has happened. My heart has been touched with God’s love and mercy this month. I am so honored to be here with these amazing women. With Mpume.