EVERY time Cedile Nkosi watches Skeem Saam and sees sugar daddy Marothi, she is reminded of how she tried to take her own life at a very young age.
Now, she has made it her life’s duty to educate other young people about the dangers of dating sugar daddies, HIV/Aids and teen pregnancies.
The 22-year-old engineering student from Langeloop, near Malelane in Mpumalanga, fell pregnant at the age of 16. Her sugar daddy immediately abandoned her, and her life took a turn for the worse.
“I was in the dark and planned to take my own life,” she said.
“My family turned their backs on me. I was alone. I began writing a suicide letter to my parents. By the time I finished it, I realised that I had in fact written a poem, and knew immediately that I could not take my terrible experiences with me to the grave. I knew I had to share them with other young people, so that they would not fall into the same trap as I did.”
So far Cedile has written 10 poems and a few short stories, which she shares with high school pupils in her area.
“I’ve transferred all my pain onto paper, and in the process saved my life,” she said. “I am happy that my passion for writing is also saving other young people from falling in the same trap as I did. The fact that I managed to return to school and am now pursuing a career in engineering is an inspiration to those who have made mistakes in their lives.”
