04 Aug 2014

Falling pregnant at the tender age of 16 years was very difficult for Chedza Majwabe, but she managed to dust herself up and work hard to regain her lost time and opportunities.

She treated her past mistakes, which led to her teenage motherhood, as a learning curve that would help her navigate the challenges of life. Majwabe’s subtle and angelic demeanour betrays her strong persona.

In her own special way, she stands out in a silent loudness that enables her to capture the hearts of many people who cross her path. The 33-year-old Majwabe is a backing vocalist for prominent local jazz singers Ndingo Johwa and Lister Boleseng.

She started her music career in 2007 when she attracted the attention of Johwa’s producers during a jazz festival in Sebina. “I was dancing to the music just like everyone else. Johwa’s crew were impressed by my dance moves and they asked if I could join them. The rest is history. That’s how I landed in the music industry,” she said.

Majwabe is also a motivational speaker and a pre-school teacher. She managed to juggle her professional and music career through hard work and dedication. There were difficulties along the way, but she fought hard to maintain her composure and she never lost focus.

Majwabe describes herself as the embodiment of the saying that “hard times never kill.” She dropped from school in 1998, while doing Form 4 and only 16 years old.

Sadly, her mother passed away just after Majwabe’s son was born. It was a very difficult time for her. She was just a child, with a son to take care of and no mother to give her comfort and direction.

She had always depended on her mother to provide for her, but now she was gone and Majwabe and her baby boy had no one to care for them. “I was never able to go back to school because I had to take care of my daughter. I was struggling because I couldn’t find a job,” she said.

After a year of hardship and unemployment, she managed to land a job as an assistant pre-school teacher at Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic pre-school. She earned a paltry P260 per month.

The money was too little, but it was better than nothing.“I never complained about the low wages because I was grateful for the job. I planned to use it as a stepping stone to bigger and better things,” she said.

Her big break came in 2009, after working as an assistant pre-school teacher for 10 years. She was given an opportunity to study for a certificate in early childhood education at Lobatse Day Care Training College, where she graduated with a merit in 2010.

That was when she felt the time was right for her venture into entrepreneurship and open her own pre-school and day care centre. “I was confident that I had what it took. I learnt a lot from my tenure at Saint Mary’s and I also had the academic qualification. It was time for me to do my own thing,” she said.

In 2012, Majwabe’s sisters assisted her with the capital to start up Aunty Chedza Day Care Centre and Pre-school. She revealed that the business has been doing very well since inception and she has so far hired three youth to assist her.

“My sister is always available to take care of the business whenever I am busy with my music career. The business is doing very well. We have registered 50 children who each pay P1 200 per term,” she said.

She added that some parents can’t afford to pay the full amount at the beginning of each term and choose to pay in P400 instalments every month.

A staunch believer in education and self-empowerment, Majwabe has used the money she earned from her business to enrol for a diploma in Diploma in Risk Management and Safety at Ba Isago University.

“It was very hard for me when I grew up, especially because I was just a little girl who happened to have a child. I would advise youth to avoid teenage pregnancies by all means because no child can raise another. But, if they do fall pregnant, they should never despair, but must work hard to search for opportunities that will better their lives,” she said. ENDS