Kechia Antonie
In 1997, I was born in the town of Kimberley, Northern Cape, to Karel Antonie – a teacher by profession – and Sharon Antonie (now Louw), who has a Human Resources background. I am the youngest of two children to my mother and the youngest of four to my father. I lived in Kimberley until the age of five, after which I moved to my grandmother in Carnarvon (also in the Northern Cape). This is where I prefer to consider my home.
In Carnarvon I had a happy childhood. It is a small town with very little prospects for financial stability and growth; but we were and are nonetheless rich in family, friendship, and community. I grew up with a barely educated grandmother who managed to start business after business to keep our family afloat. She also often went to bed hungry so that others could eat. Through her, I learned humility, compassion, perseverance, self-sacrifice, the value of giving, and so much more.
When I was nine years old my mother decided that it was time for my brother and I to move back with her to Kimberley where we attended Flamingo Primary School (a school that my father taught at). There I forged strong bonds with teachers and friends which I maintain to this day. With the help of my mother, I was able to adjust quickly from an Afrikaans-medium school to an English-medium school. At this stage, however, I became aware of many troubles that face South African communities, such as the pivotal role that race and economic status plays in our society. Suddenly I became conscious of the fact that I was a girl of colour with a mother battling to get by. I began to take note of the struggles that my hometown faced, which included high levels of poverty, unemployment, lack of skills, and alcoholism.
When I was eleven, I was fortunate enough to be chosen for a student exchange programme to London; during which I grew more conscious of the differences between there and where I am from. I would also often hear people pointing those out. As a child, it left me very confused yet interested in these nuances. Reasoning with my young mind, I would always be perplexed at why our lives were so different although we appeared to be the same. I did not understand how this could be since we shared a planet and our humanity. I did not, however, even begin to know how to explore and resolve these queries at that time.
I went to Kimberley Girls’ High School where I built some amazing friendships, especially with my best friend to this day – Nadine De Klerk (who is from Prieska). Even there we felt a little out of place since unlike most of the students, we came from some of the most underdeveloped towns in the province. We felt like our conduct, demeanours, and mannerisms would often betray us. The result was that our difference always seemed tangible.
In planning for life after high school, I was initially intent on joining the army for a period of two years. Through this channel, I would have requested funding to further my studies; but instead, I was fortunate enough to receive a bursary to fund my studies. After attending multiple lectures, I finally decided to major in Political Sciences and Sociology. I thought this could be the way to get answers to those questions I had since I was eleven. I decided to continue my studies in Sociology at Honours level because I wanted to learn how to get to the bottom of the social ills that I grew up witnessing. Moreover, I want to figure out how to become an agent of change in impoverished communities like my own. For this reason, I am so grateful and consider myself privileged to be a part of IESHER because our interests align – we want to create a better South Africa for all who live in it.
