I was born in Nieu Bethesda. I went to school till Standard Three, and by then I was eighteen, as I started school late, so I couldn't go further. I married when I was twenty-one, and we had three children together. My married life is good - while I looked after my children I make slippers to earn money. My two eldest, Grace and Desmond, passed their Matric, and my baby daughter is now in Standard Eight. Desmond is looking for work. He can't go to college because there is not enough money for that. Grace has a child, and is teaching at the Creche. My husband worked most of life at the local Trading store, but six years ago he damaged his back with too much heavy lifting, and since then he has been on a disability pension.

The best thing in my life is that my children learn. When I was a child things were not so easy. We often went to school barefoot, even when it was very cold and there was frost or snow on the ground. My mother brought us up on her own. I didn't meet my father till I had three children of my own.

I think Nieu Bethesda is a place for peace - not so much violence. I can see many changes since apartheid finished. The clinic used to have two sides, one for whites and one for us. Now we can go in the same clinic, the same toilet. Every day I go to church, and pray to God to make my life better. If my son gets a job, he will be able to help us a bit, as my daughter does with her work at the Creche, and with the help of God, my work at the Arts Centre will also help us.