FOR A FRIEND I ONCE KNEW

Thabo Mankge was a good friend of mine, more like a street mate and a brother I grew up with him on the streets of my hometown Daveyton. Thabo was a good friend to everyone I can't imagine him having enemies for he was a very friendly crazey and funny person who was loved by everyone he knew and those who knew him. Thabo Mankge killed himself on Tuesday March the 13th of 2012 a year which was about taking controll and charge of your life but unfortunately life tends to take control of us and we are never prepared for the unforeseen circumstances that may come our way and sometimes we never even have the stregnth to deal with such hardships. Thabo Mankge went to the University of Johannesburg where he passed with flying colours and worked for Cell C, SARS, Group Five and his latestcompany was B1sa pty. ltd. So as you can see Thabo was very smart, prosperous and successful but he somehow for some reason was not satisfied with what he had or what he was doing. His last words were mentioned through a mutual friend which were "Life is such a mess" but he didn't really listen to him. Word is Thabo no longer saw what he was living for and he there decided to end his life just like that. Nobody really knows why he killed himself, his facebook wall is full of endless messages of sympathy, empathy, regrets and unanwsered questions. Nobody ever thought that a happy free spirited person with a great heart would actually kill himself and not consider the people he would leave behind. I have to admit that I really feel bad because I was hardly there or around to notice anything maybe if I had been there he would have still been alive today. I remember seing him before going our seperate ways to hit the same party, he was happy and funny even though he was drunk but he was being his usual self. In the mist of all of that I could sense some uneasyness about him, like he had given up on hope or someting I don't know I felt like that, that day, and that was in 2011 the 1st of January. I didn't pay much attention I was just looking forward to celebrating the knew year with everyone else. I guess it was becaue it was then when I saw him and I remembered his words when we used to fellowship togather with other young people when he said "Father if you don't come through for me this time I will go my own way". And it was at that moment I realised that I was not alone in my own disappointments of life that would make me go astray and to that my spirit was lifted , it was those very same words that stayed with me I don't anyone else actually knew and understood what he was saying or talking about. As time went on he dissappeared and the fellowship eventually broke up due to church politics and from there I would see him once in a while but due to being away from home often I hardly saw him much. The funeral was a great turn out which filled almost a quater of our street with mostly young people who were all heartbroken as Thabo touched lives, he also requested that a block party be done for him to celebrate his life of which I could not attend. "To you Thabo Mankge I say you were a good friend and a good brother, we will always love you and miss you. I hope you have found what you were looking for, as I become heartbroken all over again now as I write to you, and just thinking how we all going to move on from this. Rest in peace".