Koketso pours out her story in ‘The Heartbeat of Sorrow’
Meet Koketso Precious Mokwena (19) who has written a book after suffering abuse.
POLOKWANE – Koketso’s book, The Heartbeat of Sorrow, has been published online at Amazon, and has been available for download since 16 June.
Koketso matriculated at St Pauls High School last year and is currently taking a gap year to focus on her book. “I want to go back to school next year to study psychology, since, if it weren’t for the help from psychologists, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
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Koketso’s book is a real-life story depicting all the challenges she went through in her life.
“Before we moved to Limpopo, we lived in Mamelodi where I was physically and emotionally abused.”
She says the abuse affected her social life the most. “I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I had constant mood swings and was never happy. Luckily my academics did not suffer, I was adamant to do well so that I could get out of that horrible place. I never told anyone, as it would kill me on the inside but on the outside, you would still see the ‘happy’ girl.
“It is only when it started becoming excessive that I could not keep my poker face on any longer. I could not let my mother know because all this was happening in her presence. She could not protect herself and I could not expect her to protect me either.”
Koketso says she joined an after school programme and this is where one of the facilitators noticed there was something wrong.
“It was not easy opening up because I did not want anyone’s pity. I did not want anyone to feel sorry for me and to start treating me differently, but luckily someone was able to see through my fake smile.”
She says she started receiving counselling and that is where she got the strength to move on. “Once the school got involved, my mother left the man who used to beat us. I felt that if she could do it, I could too.” She says that one thing she wants people to know is that you need to believe in yourself and always speak out about any wrongdoing against yourself or others.
“If you do not speak out as soon as you can, the situation will set boundaries around you that you might never be able to break.” She says that any person who might have gone through abuse and who does not know who to talk to can find her on Facebook.
