reality//week15

Reality, according to Webster, is something that has real existence and must be dealt with in real life. I’ve always known rape really happens. I’ve heard people kill each other. But I’ve never dealt with those realities until now.

Last weekend, in my beloved township of Mbekweni, a 16-year –old girl Nosipiwe was raped and murdered by several young guys in the community. She was a bright student and a wonderful contributor to her community. It has been quite a loss for all of us. Unfortunately, the tragedy does not end there. After she was murdered, a friend of hers took the shoes, which belonged this friend, off Nosipiwe’s dead body and never reported the murder. These callous actions have grieved the community, especially the youth, and have called them to action.

A few days after the murder, I was visiting a friend in the township. While chatting, we were interrupted by boisterous voices. We looked across the way to see a substantial group of young people marching towards the friend of Nosipiwe’s house. They gathered outside this girl’s shack and began to throw rocks while demanding that she give the police the names of those who killed Nosipiwe. Within minutes the police had arrived to break up the demonstration. They began throwing teargas and shooting rubber bullets into the crowd. Children were running left and right, some screaming out of fear, others out of anger. The older youth stood still, demanding justice. With each passing moment, more policemen showed up with feisty dogs and intimidating guns. I couldn’t help but feel as if I was in the middle of a movie. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

While it was under tragic circumstances, I felt like I was given a sneak peak into history. My friend told me demonstrations like that, on a larger scale, played a big role in the end of apartheid. And there’s something so beautiful about young people coming together in harmony to champion justice. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Isaiah 1:17, “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows."

Since then, the community has continued to fight for justice in this tragedy. You can read more about it at .

Please keep Nosipiwe’s family and the community in your prayers. There will be a memorial service tomorrow that our Mbekweni pastor on staff, Mqokeleli, will be hosting. We pray that during this time of grief, our young people will learn to turn to the Lord, for he is the ultimate comforter.

So as I continue to spend more and more time in the township, I find myself dealing with the everyday realities of life here. Some days it’s just overwhelming and I wish I didn’t know the things that I do. However, the more reality I experience, the more I see a need for our Father. And that’s one thing I pray I never forget.