This is after he impregnated five girls at his school, bringing shame to his family which left him alone to face the consequences.
Mashudu Mukhumeni believes that telling his story will help him reflect on his behaviour, help him heal and also shape his career through the arts at the Olivetree Theatre. Also, he said he hopes his story will awaken society to the social challenges which make teenagers act irresponsibly.
From Venda, Mukhumeni’s world crumbled when, at 22 – after what he thought were pleasurable escapades with girls turned sour – one girl after another bore him three girls and two boys. This was when he was in grades 10 and 11 with no parenting skills or sense of family responsibility.
He now admits abusing his manhood, causing girls to become teenage mothers which possibly ruined their futures and limited their prospects of getting married. Mukhumeni attributes this to peer pressure and wanting to seem macho.
“I never thought of HIV and the consequences of fatherhood – nurturing, clothing, feeding and caring for my offspring. I was a sweet-talker and girls fell for it. To keep at it, I spent time away from class and lessons, missed examinations, hung around bad [crowds] and engaged in all sorts of social ills. Sometimes I even thought I was addicted to sex.”
He said there were occasions when he was publicly shamed during school assembly and punished for his misdemeanours. This, combined with three attempts at Grade 11, resulted in him dropping out of school. And it hit him hard.
Faced with a bleak future, he eventually sought a fresh start which landed him in Alexandra where he is mending his ways. “My brother offered me shelter after a local school rejected my enrolment due to my age,” he said.
Luckily, he has found a perfect platform at the Olivetree Theatre to redeem himself. “I have abstained from my mischief for months. I am rediscovering myself through drama classes where I also let out my frustrations, and freely express my feelings on important values of respect, trust, faithfulness and love.”
He said he has committed not to perform any scene that reminds him of misery, violence or abuse of others. Makhumeni wants acting and script writing to be a career for self fulment and a source of support for his children.
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