KGAPANE-February month is deemed the month of love to many, it is a time where people exchange gifts with their loved ones and going the extra mile to express love and appreciation to one another.
Tzaneen voice caught up with Abia Mawasha and his wife of 46 years, Mantsha Mawasha, from Kgapane, in the Greater Letaba Municipality, to find out how they celebrate Valentine’s Day.
The couple got married in September 1975 and admit valentine’s Day is a foreign concept. They met during a time when writing letters and meeting at rivers, secluded places and sometimes meeting on mountains, where they would spend time listening to birds chirping was considered romantic. “Although we are not familiar with the concept of this valentine’s Day. Our children do encourage us from time to time to celebrate it. We are blessed with seven children and some of them are married and tell us what this day is about. Maybe we will buy a live chicken and cook it this year, that’s how we normally celebrate as Africans” Mr Mawasha said joking
The couple credits God and patience with one another for the longevity of their marriage. They also encourage young couples to go back to basics. “I wish young couples could invite God in their daily lives. Most relationships fail because we have lost our beliefs as Africans and chase things of the world. Pray together, do fun things together. Even the Bible advises in Corinthians 13 that we must be patient in love, be kind and love one another the same way God loves us” the pair mentioned.
