Zanele's relationship with her mother became strained after she felt that her mother favoured her sister and took her side when they had arguments in the house.
Fortunate always lived in fear of being thrown out of the shack where they stayed because they battled to pay their monthly rental. She lived with her boyfriend and their three-month-old daughter. Her boyfriend had temporary jobs, but she was unemployed.
"My mother was involved in a car accident shortly after I was born. She spent six years in hospital while I was raised by my aunts. She came home wheelchair-bound and unable to talk. My aunts only helped for three years before they left me with my mother.
To avoid being in the presence of his mother and aunt who constantly fought over past family issues, Thandolwethu spent his time with his friends smoking dagga and cigarettes from the age of 17.
