Busi Malale

I was born in Tsakane, Johannesburg, in 1994. When I was only two months old, my mother and Uncle moved me to Phiva village, in Nkomazi. Due to traditional customs, my mother was not allowed to stay with my father as he hadn’t paid lobola to her family so he could marry her.

I grew up in an extended family of 9 members in my maternal grandmother’s house. My grandmother worked as a sugar-cane farm labourer. My mother and father loved each other but my father only came for short visits to the village where his family also had a house. Sometimes I didn’t even get to see him so I grew very close to my grandfather who was like a father to me. I was devastated when he passed away as I was only seven years old and I’d felt neglected by my real father. He also passed away in 2001 and my mother in 2003. I was left alone with my grandmother. The next year (2004) I was introduced to Music for Life and they selected me for the 25th African Children’s Choir and the first South African Children’s choir because I can dance and sing well.

We went to Cape Town for a year’s training and we performed for Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu and at many other churches and schools. I thoroughly enjoyed the time there. I met new children and made many friends and they became my second family. We were taught about love and God and my basic knowledge of life came from there. We returned to the Nkomazi and then the following year we toured England for six months. I loved the tour and found England fascinating and very interesting. The people were loving and kind to us.

After our tour we moved back to Nkomazi in South Africa for holidays but we were all shattered when the government here refused to let us go back to our boarding school in Cape Town. So African Children’s choir continued to support us where they could and we had to adapt to village life. It took us time to adapt but Thembalethu also helped and I enjoyed attending the Adventure Weeks and helping with the out-reach programs.

Now I am writing my Matric in 2014 and the next year I will to be going to University.

My passion is to help others, mainly children, to have hope even if circumstances are difficult. My experiences have strengthened me and I am grateful that God has led me in these paths of my life as now I feel confident that I have a solid foundation to work from and with Him, anything is possible.