Be Loved

Chapter 28

Following that miraculous Sunday, every day felt like an exciting day for Tshegofatso and Pearl. Each day brought them closer to the meeting with the minister. The Instagram page was growing quickly, especially after the video was posted, showing Molatlhegi being awake. The press was asking for interviews with anyone related to the case. Sharon came up with two new hashtags that were geared to create pressure on the minister. It was #pardonmo and #mofreedom. Social media took these hashtags and went viral with them. This story was becoming one of the main headlines during news bulletins. This made Ntate Phiri increasingly angry. He told Tshegofatso that she should not attend the meeting with the minister. He threatened that he would kick her out of his house if she did. Tshegofatso did not take the threat kindly, as she responded to him by saying that if she leaves, she would never come back. That hurt Nkgono Tshidi, as she felt that her husband needed to stop with the hostility and make peace.

"Ntate, haven't you done enough damage" asks Nkgono Tshidi

"So are you also going to disrespect me like this child does" replies an offended Ntate Phiri

"We were wrong. It's not just you. God is giving us a chance to make amends" explains Nkgono Tshidi

"Don't spiritualize this Matshidiso. If the minister sets that man free, I am going to appeal it" says an angry Ntate Phiri

"Samson. Samson. Enough. This is enough. You are making supporting you be difficult. Your hatred is what will destroy you and this family. Please, please end with this"

"He got to you too..."

"No he didn't. We need to stop this blame game Samson. Please. You are scaring me. You are becoming someone I cannot recognise. Kaboentle would be heartbroken if she saw how you are behaving"

"Don't try to manipulate me"

"I'm not. It's the truth. If she could forgive you and me for what we almost made her do, we have to support the family she was willing to die for. Please Samson."

Ntate Phiri knew that Nkgono Tshidi had a point. He could no longer deny that his own hatred was destroying him and his family. He couldn't find it in himself to apologise for the way he was behaving and treating Tshegofatso. But he decided in his heart to no longer fight the inevitable. The trends were clear, society wanted Molatlhegi to be set free. There was a crowd outside of the meeting venue. The press is there, waiting to capture the minister and his entourage entering the venue. They were also on the lookout for Pearl and Tshegofatso. Pearl's BMW finally appears as it enters the venue's parking lot. When the press recognises Tshegofatso, they rush to get a statement from her about her wishes. Tshegofatso explains

"They arrested, charged, prosecuted, and sentenced my father for kidnapping me, almost 16 years ago. The world back then did not believe that a father could parent his own child, that is why they found it easy to say that he kidnapped me. The laws have obviously changed, but what hasn't is the fatherlessness in society. A good father is so rare, that people easily believed that my father could have kidnapped me to harm me. Instead of the truth. The truth is that my father took me so that he could raise his family in peace, away from naysayers, and start afresh. So when I go in there, I am going to tell the minister that I am not a victim of kidnapping. I will tell him that I was never kidnapped. I was never in danger. I was with my father and that this country owes me a relationship with my father. So they must set him free and delete their records and apologise to my father. He is not a criminal, he is a father!" Her powerful speech was tweeted and retweeted often. It appeared in people's WhatsApp stories, shared countlessly in WhatsApp groups across the world. People felt confident that justice would indeed be done.

The meeting with the minister went well. The minister makes an announcement as he exits the meeting.

"Dear South Africans. We have heard you loud and clear. I too am a father. I must say, this Molatlhegi man makes me look bad as a father, because he is a hero. A South African hero that must be celebrated. So it was decided that indeed Molatlhegi Molefe will be a free man. The president will sign off my request that we expunge his criminal record. We cannot give him back all the years he has lost, but we would love to publicly apologise for this grave misuse of justice. This man deserves to be free and commended for doing whatever he could to be a father. Many a young man in this world should look at him as an example. So by the end of tomorrow, we should have all the paperwork ready to make this announcement official. I thank you."

When Pearl and Tshegofatso told Molatlhegi everything that happened, he could not believe it. He was overcome with emotion. Tshegofatso reminded him that this was a sign that his curse is broken forever.

As promised by the minister, the paperwork was ready on Saturday afternoon. Pearl received the documents and brought them to the hospital on Sunday, Father's Day. Tshegofatso, Molatlhegi, and Pearl signed where they needed to sign and initialed where they needed to initial. And just like that, it was official. Molatlhegi was going to leave the hospital as a free man. Sharon took a picture of Molatlhegi signing the papers and posted it on the Instagram page. She invited everyone to come to the hospital to witness him leaving the hospital as a free man.

Molatlhegi needed the doctors to conduct their last check-up before he could leave and go home. He realised that he didn't have a home to go to. When Pearl hears him wonder where he was going, she says "I have a couch waiting for you." Molatlhegi laughs at the idea and says he will love the couch. The doctors conduct their check-up and confirm that he can go home. The nurses come to say goodbye to Molatlhegi and they tell him how inspired they are because of him.

As Sharon, Tshegofatso, Pearl, and Molatlhegi get to the exit of the hospital, they see the thousands of people waiting outside to cheer him on. The crowd catches a glimpse of Molatlhegi and they cheer loudly. People take out their phones to record this moment and someone with a megaphone comes to Molatlhegi and hand it over to him, asking him to address his supporters. He is initially reluctant, but Tshegofatso asks him to address the supporters. He takes the megaphone and speaks

"Ladies and gentlemen. You all should really be at home eating your seven-colours lunch! But I thank you. Today... Today signifies the day I finally get to be a father to my beloved daughter. I get to be set free on Father's Day, a day I never got to celebrate with my daughter. My journey is known to all of you. And as I stand here in front of you, I could never have thought the journey would get me here. So I thank all of you for believing. I thank all of you for being the village that got me out. To all the fathers out there, we must always do our best to be the best father possible. No matter the obstacle. No matter the pain. We owe it to ourselves and our children to fight for the right to father. Even if its for one second. Do it. Even if its for one minute. Do it. Even if it's for one year, on the run from the police, do whatever you need to do to be a father to your child. May God bless all of you and May He heal your father wounds and help you be loved like the beloved child you are. Thank you"