Meet the Cover Star

from Mum's Mail Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Midlands - September 2020

Rock the Kitchen: One Pot Wonders

MEET GORGEOUS LUPHAWU SIGCAWU (TWO YEARS OLD). LUPHAWU LIVES WITH HER PARENTS, APHELELE AND LAZOLA AND HER BROTHER IMINATHI (5) IN AMANZIMTOTI.

Aphelele and Lazola run their own company transporting vehicles for dealerships and car rentals and the like.

“Iminathi is a very smart caring boy, very inquisitive and he is soft at heart towards his sister and everyone around him. He does not like to see anyone sad or to even hear a person raise their voice at someone,” says his mom. “He is interested in all kinds of sports, is very energetic and is very quick to learn. He loves animals so much and likes to watch National Geographic. Iminathi is not afraid to speak his mind - that is one thing I am super proud of.”

Aphelele says that Luphawu is the type of person that commands her space, lights up the room wherever she is. “She is such an entertainer and loves to sing and dance. She is a caring and a loving soul, and a very playful person – it’s easy to tell when she is not okay. She is quick to learn and loves watching cartoons, her favourite cartoon is Fancy Nancy. She likes exploring outside and loves taking pictures. She is not afraid to say no to something she does not like,” says her proud mom.

On being parents:

“What we have learnt is that God has blessed us with such amazing, smart children and every moment spent with them is beautiful and a blessing. Every day we learn new things about ourselves. Being true to you and what you stand for is very important and as young as they are, our kids are true and honest about who they are and what they feel. Being a parent is teaching us to be honest and to have direction in order to raise kids with direction. It gives us something to look forward to and to work hard for - not only for ourselves but for them. We have found a new purpose. Being parents has taught us to be patient. It has taught us to unlearn bad habits, as we are the mirror to our children and what we do is what they will do.”

Advice to new parents:

Raising kids is taking one thing at a time. Patience is very important and believing that you are doing your best. We believe that kids are not yours but belong to God. You just have to trust God to give you wisdom to raise them. There is a saying that says it takes a village to raise a child, but we say it takes wisdom to raise a child. We love a scripture that is in Proverbs 22 verse 6: train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn away from it,” concludes Aphelele.

Written by Sarah Mackintosh