When we first meet Bongile she is on a bus feeling desperate for one final chance, just one more opportunity to undo all her wrongs and start all over again. She is thirty three years old, HIV positive, unemployed, homeless and with five children from four different men–life looks bleak for the emotionally exhausted and troubled woman.
Up until that moment, not only had Bongile endured misfortune upon misfortune, but her proclivity towards destructive behavioural patterns and toxic relationships had resulted in a series of negative consequences.
Now seated on a bus holding her fifth newly born and newly dead baby she embarks on a journey to her rural home.
In a scenario that would perhaps confuse most readers, Bongile does not make a scene the moment she realises that her baby is dead. As a million thoughts whirl through her mind she opts to do nothing, terrified that the 60 or so passengers would blame her for killing her own child, passing judgement and condemnation, which at this point in time she does not have the strength to deal with. As she mourns and closely guards her deceased baby she begins to reflect on her life.
Despite being born out of wedlock and raised by her father and step mother (the woman her father cheated on with her biological mother), Bongile enjoys a charming village upbringing. Sadly at the age of 14 she falls pregnant after a trio of high school mates gang rape her on the night of her birthday party. Doubtfully recalling the true events of that fateful night she tries to suppress her heart palpitations, her heart still breaking over an incident that changed the course of her life almost two decades ago.
Out of school and saddled with a child, Bongile is stuck at home bearing family and societal shame. Three years later things take a turn for the worst when she loses her father. Broken and alone she seeks solace in her boyfriend Jeffrey (notorious gang leader) and chooses to leave home to be with him. Moreover, with her older half-sister Thabi having graduated, married and living in Bulawayo, Bongile had no desire to remain behind.
Despite his criminal lifestyle and violent behaviour Jeffrey becomes a husband and father figure in her life, providing for her and her daughter Nandipha with the material things they needed. Her duty as the main girlfriend was to never question him about the other women lest another beating ensued.
When Jeffrey gets arrested for murder, Bongile dumps their two and a half year old twins at his mother’s rural home (albeit in her absence) and moves to the Sunshine City of Harare. There she joins a friend presumably doing well in ‘business’ only to discover after moving in with Sally that the nature of the so called business entailed prostitution. That is how Bongile ends up with her fourth child from one of her expatriate Caucasian clients.
After four difficult years living as a prostitute and pregnant with child number four, Bongile calls it quits. Bringing an end to the countless men, innumerable beatings and the multiple times she engaged in unprotected sex. These acts were driven by her desperate need for money, money that at the end of it all, she bemoaned, merely enabled her to cover basics such as food, boarding and the occasional hair-do.
In an act that is equally brazen and desperate, a fearful and remorseful Bongile decides to go back to her sister who had become a successful medical doctor. Her apprehension is justified considering that she had last seen Thabi four years earlier when she left her daughter Nandipha for a ‘visit’ without returning to collect her.
Astonishingly, she is welcomed back and given a chance to rebuild her life. Perhaps her family found it in their hearts to forgive her as a result of their strong Christian beliefs and the special bond that the siblings once shared.
Despite her new lease on life, in an unexpected turn of events Bongile bumps into her former lover Jeffrey, of all people, who had been living in Bulawayo since his acquittal.
Is Bongile’s resolve strong enough to resist the love of her life? Will she exhibit a classic case of can’t-help-who-you love and find herself in Jeffrey’s arms and back to her old and familiar life?
I believe that no-one asks for misfortune or sits around daydreaming of darker days to come, fantasizing about all sorts of tragedies that may befall them and when people make mistakes it is not with the intention to willingly invite negative consequences.
Before her life had barely begun Bongile endured pain that not only hurt her but undoubtedly changed her as a person. What do we do when life shapes us into who we are not?
The most touching aspect of Makwara’s debut novel is that it is based on a true story. The author takes readers through the journey of a woman in desperate need of redemption and forgiveness. She concludes the book with an emotional ending that leaves readers anticipating a sequel.
I had the opportunity to attend Makwara’s glamorous book launch in October 2017 where she auctioned the original manuscript of her novel. Proceeds from the auction went to Bongile who, on the night of the launch, remained anonymous. A gesture I found both heartwarming and inspiring that through her debut novel Makwara made a notable difference in the life of the main character.
Affectionately known as Chichi, Zimbabwean author Chiedza Makwara is a marketer by profession within the freight and logistics industry. Her debut novel ‘Bongile, Journey to Redemption’ was inspired by her desire to connect with people and her strong belief in building lasting relationships that in turn make a visible difference in people’s lives. She was motivated to share the story of a woman that we tend to not only overlook but often judge harshly.
