Foreword
The terms “Slay-queens”, “blesses” and “Blessers” are what form the everyday talk of the town words to the South African youth, in communities and on social media platforms. What is exactly being discussed about the terms depends on the side that one is watching from. Those who are not involved or taking part in the acts of “blesser-blesse” or who are not “Slay-queens” view the acts as degrading and not worth what the “blessers” put their “blesses” through. As it can be imagined, the “blesses” and “slay-queens” of course share different views on the matter.
Having been exposed to the “blesser-blesse” life, author Jackie Phamotse has decided to take a heroic and an artistic approach in dealing with her life experiences while educating the young about what appears as “a good time” could be an experience that scares one for life. Although it may not have been easy, Jackie reflects some her life traumas in her Bare series with the purpose of helping the South African youth learn about how sexual transactions work and the dangers that come with wanting to have things the easy way in life.
Today Jackie Phamotse is the name that has been in the mouths of many South Africans, especially the youth after she had a live on her Instagram accounts talking about matters of sexual transactions and the “blesser-blesse” lifestyle.
The first part of the book series was published in the year 2017, with the publication of Bare: The Blesser’s Game. The book that received a thumbs up from the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Mathews Phosa who went as far as to say, “The future of our literature is in this book.”
The inspiration to writing the five published novels for the 31-year-old Jackie draws from her and her family’s mistreatment from her father when she was young. A military commander who she does not name, was her father who especially mistreated his wife. Due to abuse they received from the assumed Mr Phamotse, Jackie’s mother later separated from her husband.
Having been introduced to the boarding school life, Jackie tells just how much her life had to change when she attended winter school in the Free State and ended up in a club. Just when she thought life could not get any harder for her, having survived her father’s ill treatment, at 17 years old, five men, together with the then minister of the former president Jacob Zuma’s cabinet raped Jackie. The Blesser’s game book paints a picture of “Treasure”, a character in the book who is gang raped in a club called Whispers in Bloemfontein. When she attempted to report the then minister, Jackie was told to let the rape case slide as she was fighting a losing battle.
In an interview on Your late mate with Nimrod Nkosi, Jackie acknowledges having thoughts running through her head that maybe she should not have gone to the club that day.
“You never know what is going to happen regardless of where you might be, even at work, something like this could happen” is what Jackie had to say about the night she was raped while se was still in high school at age 17.
Overcoming
In an interview with Viwe Konjwa who deals with matters of gender-based violence at Legal Aid South Africa, he mentioned that women and children suffer from gender-based violence due to men thinking that they are weak. This is evident in the number of cases that we hear in the news about how women and children are often kidnapped and found dead as to versus those of men.
Relying on therapy is what helped Jackie to not succumb to anxiety as she had to relive her past traumas. “Because I work with people such as the likes of Sbusiso “Dj Sbu” Leope, her business partner at MoFaya beverages who is extremely encouraging and level-headed, he really helped me through things”. Working out had been one of the coping mechanisms for Jackie as she tried to move on with her life and that is where her movement called Thick fit started from.
Jackie’s late teens – adulthood
After almost becoming homeless, Jackie left her home after the passing of her mother to seek greener pastures in the city of Johannesburg where her life experiences of working as a waitress in Sandton are again reflected in her Bare series. At the age of 19, Jackie’s waitressing job came with little to no knowledge of what the big city had in store for her. A young girl who is into playing sports and modelling, her life changes when a mutual friend invites her to a game of golf at the Bryanston county club.
After being introduced to the “blesser-blesse” life, Jackie’s life started to take a different direction that was confusing to her as well as unexpected events kept transpiring. Jackie had started to date a married man who later introduced him to his wife. “We dated for almost a year and I never knew this man had a wife”. This is what Jackie said during the interview.
The very first event that Jackie had to face was a forced abortion, or one that she had never consented into doing anyway, which makes all an illegal act. In South Africa the first Twelve weeks are the only space of time where a woman can request to have an abortion, this can stretch to Twenty weeks in an instance where the child or foetus poses a danger to the woman carrying it.
She describes a time where she fell pregnant and her “blesser” whom she would not mention by his real and is known as Tim in the Blesser’s game book drugged her and had hired a private nurse that came and orchestrated the abortion while Jackie had passed out from the drug. During this time, “Tim” could not care how far Jackie was I her pregnancy and there were not signs that the pregnancy was proving to be a danger in her life. “When I woke up the baby was gone. This happened at the Sandton Medi-clinic”.
After having lived a life under the eagle’s eye where the apartment that her blesser had bought for her was fitted with cameras everywhere to watch her every move, Jackie decided it was time she claimed back her own life and became her own self again. “Even my car and my cell phone were fitted with a tracker”, Jackie said.
The getting out got tricky when attempts on her life were made on reasons that the book she was to soon publish after leaving her “blesser” could contain things that are not meant to be known to the public. Jackie says at some point the house she lived in, in Rivonia Sandton was shot at and she then had to be moved to a safe house. Jackie mentioned that some of the secrets that the blesser “Tim” was worried about was the illegal organ dealings he was involved in.
The award-winning South African author, social activist, businesswoman, and philanthropist has been the voice for the many who are voiceless with her strong opinions on issues affecting woman and children. These issues range from rape, human trafficking, and even mental health issues affecting the Youth of South African today.
Victor Phemba 