The Roots

By Mohlouwa Sease

South African marriages quality have deteriorated into unhappiness and divorces have escalated…find out the main reason why… the role of uncles in lobola resulting in this demise…and why so much deaths at initiation schools… read to understand why an African child has lost direction

About the Author
Mohlouwa Sease was born on the farm Dankbaar, Petrusburg district in the Free State province. He is the 11th child of 13, and was schooled at Petrusburg, Qwaqwa and Bloemfontein. He then did a two year teaching stunt in Koffiefontein and thereafter started a career in mining as a Cleaner. Later Mohlouwa joined the Environmental Engineering Section. He has worked at mines and Government as an Inspector. Mohlouwa loves nature and was taught by his late Mother to study people and life. A friend encouraged him to write and his late wife supported it saying it will make the reader see him for who he is, a secret his Mother told her about Mohlouwa she kept till she passed on.
He is not intending to ask them when he joins them. It's their secret anyway and he respects that.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mohlouwa Sease
• Release date: Oct 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223841531

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Copyright © 2022 Mohlouwa H. Sease

First edition 2022

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Mohlouwa H. Sease

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About the Author

In Africa if you want to know the history of a person, you enquire about his or her name. The issue of history in names can also be traced in the African American names. If one wants to know their origin, you only need to find out how they got their Surnames. Apparently they adopted the surnames of their Slave Masters and knowing the history and business dealings of their Slave Masters, you can track down their origin.

An African child’s name is a prayer. Bad names are used as prayers or a curse to dispel bad omen at the time of birth of that child or conditions when or whilst being conceived whilst good or celebratory names are used as an appreciation and thanks to the Superpowers. Even though some names are inherited according to some national customs, the origin of them was also a form of a prayer whilst in other nations the culture of naming a child according to the happenings or occurrences at the time of birth is still a norm. In Africa there is no swearing or cursing to a person or individual but swearing or cursing is done to the situation or occurrence. Swearing or cursing is also a form of a prayer. Some names may appear to be swearing to a western person but there is a prayer attached and a rich history in each African name. It is also a custom to swear at a child but this is only intended to curse all the bad spirit that may be surrounding that child and eventually if not cursed affect or infect the child.

Talking about History in names, this is also notable in the white dominant gene South African Afrikaners Surnames. The word Surname in Afrikaans is Van when translated. This van directly translated in English means from and this is clarified in the study of the origin of words. Most of the Afrikaners surnames start with the same word van and it is spelt with a small word and not a capital word. All it does is explain where this Afrikaner volk or tribe originate from and at times meaning which tribe this person belongs to. Where this van is not used, it is accepted that the name is a tribe name. It tells their history of this specific tribe or nation.

In Black African history there were no surnames but only tribal or clan names which would also give you the history of their origin. If you listen to their praise singing, you will get a short version of that history. Surnames were adopted as a western identity custom but those surnames do not carry the same value like the Afrikaners surnames or African Americans. I’m not sure about the other nations, in Africa the clan or tribal names carry the value.

My name is Mohlouwa meaning a hated person. Obviously the origin of Mohlouwa came from a prayer for a situation when a child was born to parents that were surrounded by enemies or haters. In the past and even today still the birth of this child in Africans was and is still seen as a blessing to dispel the bad omen that might have befallen this family hence the prayer that goes with the name. The child is a blessing from the Super Powers and is seen as pure or bold. When a child is born, all hatched are buried as a possible saviour is born. All forms of prayers in African custom are positive in nature hence this prayer name was thanks to the Superpowers for bringing a saviour to that family or nation and the name was a reminder that such a situation happened and was prayed for to never occur again.

In order to continue with such prayers, other nations decided that children should inherit names of such Heroes. It should be noted that children in African customs are born heroes and are seen as pure and bold that is why their birth is celebrated by the nation and not only the close family and relatives. Many as they grow up chose to destroy this by adopting bad living habits and styles or immoral values as per the standards of that tribe or nation. Some thinks or are made to believe that they have to live up to their names due to misinformation hence the quote Bitso lebe ke soromo meaning if you have a bad name you will definitely live up to it. Many of the names that are chosen for inheritance are those of heroes who lived up to their names in the sense of saving the nation, tribe or family, those that brought positive changes with their birth. It was also noted that these kinds of bad situations will probably repeat themselves thus continuity in prayer had to happen. It is important that an African child knows and respect their names. It is the first thing you are taught to value and respect. It is the only valuable thing to carry through life. It means with your birth, all the bad things ended, you are indeed a saviour.

I inherited my name from my great grandfather who was a Warrior, the Right Hand Man of the King and a great Herbalist and later became a Chief. Despite some of his not so loved traits and tactics, he was loved and respected by the nation. I have researched it and found out that there is rich history in it but I am not going to write about it now.

I was born at a farm called Dankbaar in a district of a small town called Petrusburg. The eleventh child of thirteen born from one mother. The sixth son. The only one in the family with the birth mark on the forehead termed Lesiba in Sesotho ( stout haar in Afrikaans). I cannot explain the meaning of this in English. It is complicated. I attended primary school at Petrusburg, most of the high school at Makabelane Qwaqwa and I Matriculated at Moemedi High school in Bloemfonten. My first job was as a labourer at Dankbaar whilst helping with teaching at Doornkop Farm School and later I became an unqualified teacher at Leretlhabetse Secondary School in Koffiefontein. The aim was to acquire a free government bursary after two years and qualify as a teacher but I then decided to join the De Beers Diamond mines as labourer before two years could end and finally left the mines as an Occupational Hygienist. I tried business but struggled and later joined the Government to become a mine Inspector. My first