What happened to Cynthia?

Months passed by without anyone hearing a thing since Cynthia decided to skip the country. Her mother became used to reading every daily news papers in the country. She would tune in to different radio stations during the news times with the hope to hear any leads to her daughter's disappearance. Thia ( as Cynthia was passionately known) was more like a celebrity now that she was a ring leader of the rebels who were against the white monopoly and a full scale manhunt was launched to catch her. She became an every household' s topic and her name became familiar to many people. " A Johannesburg teenage girl is wanted for serious charges of breaking the law", these were the words that decorated almost every news papers. Her mother did not sleep a wink since her disappearance. The police paid her random visits every now and then to check if she is not hiding her daughter's whereabouts.

Being hunted by the white officials those days meant one thing. It meant that one was facing serious charges of defying the governing authority. This usually resulted in serious detention and even execution. Cynthia's mom was praying endless prayers. Her daughter's name became a prayer point in her church meeting. Her fellow church members had joined her in prayers. There were days she could not take it anymore. The police raid, her daughter's disappearance and the unhealed wounds of the passing of her husband. She was now a widow who was fearing for her children's safety and hers as well. She would cry bitterly and quickly wiped up the tears when on of her children entered her room. She had to be brave for them and she was their only hope.

Her heart would beat to stop when flashing pictures of her estranged daughter being detained or even hanged crossed her mind. Her granddaughter whom she never saw was one of her concern. She would never had a chance to see her since she was forbidden to live Johannesburg for another provinces as she was suspected to have a hand in her daughter's disappearance. The police were concerned that she might jeopardize the chances of finding Cynthia who was now a sought after political criminal. There were many stories she heard about the political exiles. Some of them never had luck to make it to their areas of destinations. They were shot on the way or arrested at the borders before skipping the country. There were also disturbing rumours about her daughter too. The speculators implied that the South African police force caught her before she even left the country. Some spread the rumours that she was arrested and taken to one of the super maximum security prisons in South Africa but the strange thing was that no one knew exactly where such prison was. Horrifying stories were told about the prisoners whom their bodies were not found after being tortu tored to death. This would scare Cynthia's mother a lot. As a result of this, her health condition was affected by the strain she was carrying to endure her pain and struggling. There were days she could not wake up from her bed due to pain and stress. This affected her children's attendance at school. They would skip classes to take care of their ailing mother who was the pillar of their strength. They were fearing for the worst. The thought of losing their father and the disappearance of their sister was too much for them. Now their mother was in and out of hospitals and there were police officers who would come out of no where to arrest her with no apparent reason. They were used to be woken up and be dispersed even in the middle of the nights. Their mother would be thrown Inside the police van and be taken in for questioning. Sometimes, she would spend a day or two in the police cells. Things would become tough for them to the point that they would go to bed on empty stomachs. Their mother was selling her famous ginger beer and scones to make sure there was food on the table. During the times of her arrest, things would be difficult for her children. Sometimes, she would leave just a few coins for them to buy bread and the neighbours would help where they can.

This became their everyday life and they became accustomed to living a life of fear and uncertainty. They already knew if the door was locked when they came from school, their mother was arrested. They were trained to cope with the situation. They knew where the house keys were hidden incase she was taken in while they were at school. A huge stone behind their house was the first place to look at to find the keys. Then they would look for an old small jam tin on top of the cupboard. This was where their mother would leave cash for them to buy bread. If there was nothing in the jam tin then, it meant that there was no money for bread. They would go to bed on empty stomachs. The next morning they would go to school as hungry as they were. Then their mother would come back and make a plan for them to get something to eat. She was used to be beaten up sometimes and forced to tell the police officers about her daughter's whereabouts. When she told them that she knew nothing, the white officials would be furious and torture her. This contributed a lot in the deterioration of her health condition. The cold police cells and the beatings made her sick. Her children were compelled to adjust to the situation they were facing and this made them to miss the joys of being children and conform to adult experiences. When their mother was sick they would take care of her and helped her to sell. They would go house to house to sell the scones and sometimes the fish and sheep trotters. They would sell like hot cakes and the profit they made would keep them for days. When their mother got better, she would carry on with her business asual. She was a woman of many talents. She was also good in sewing. She would also sell the clothes and other stuff she had sewn to supplement her income. She had faithful customers who were also the members of the liberation movement she and her husband were part of. Everyone knew Mme Mathebula as a mother to everyone and she was loved for her big heart and resilience, especially in the liberation struggle. Her strength and courage made her a shoulder to lean on in times of struggle and liberation movements. She was counted amongst those women of 1952 who fought against the pass laws. She was the hope and future of her people.