Surfing the heart of Nathan Mathibini Moyo

My dad is my unsung hero. His care for us from childhood to
adulthood was unwavering. I never heard him complain about raising
teenagers or of our voracious appetite. On the contrary, I saw him
age faster as our way of life took a toll on him. But, like a lamb, he
weathered fatherhood. At one stage I wanted to change for his sake
but partying was just too addictive.
Dad has always been the cornerstone of the family. He is a quiet man but with a
temper that is overlaid with discipline. He loves his children dearly and
spent most of his money educating us. Most of his major decisions in
life were inspired by the love for his children.
Mom was responsible for all the discipline in the family. She believed
that if you spare the rod, you will spoil the child. When talking to her,
experience dictated that you left a safe gap in between called a reactionary gap in self-defence. Her slapping was lightning fast and flashed at very unlikely times during the
conversation. She had managed to keep the other children well
disciplined. However, Vee and I exhausted all her parenting skills. At
times she would say ‘be careful I feel like biting you’. I think it was out


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of frustration. She often wondered where she might have erred. Mom
got to a place where she turned a blind eye to our misdemeanours.