Township Cinderellas is a captivating and emotionally charged documentary that follows the lives of two high school students in Manenberg, a township in western South Africa’s Cape Flats. Shafieqah Saban and Zaahiedah Stellenboom were born in 1994, the year South Africa became a democracy, and are part of the first generation of young people to grow up in a post-apartheid South Africa.
The film provides a stark and unflinching look at life in the Cape Flats, an area marked by high poverty, unemployment, murder, and assault rates. The girls’ families and teachers are proud of them for graduating high school, but there is an underlying sense of fear and uncertainty about what their futures may hold.
Shafieqah and Zaahiedah are determined to create better lives for themselves and break the cycle of poverty that has affected their families for generations. Shafieqah is already a mother to a young child, and Zaahiedah must work to pay her own school fees due to her difficult family background. Despite these challenges, they are committed to their education and have a fierce determination to succeed.
The documentary beautifully captures the essence of these young women’s lives, as they prepare for their final exams and the “Matric Ball,” a rite of passage for all school graduates. It showcases the joys and the struggles that come with being a teenager in a difficult environment, with the added pressure of wanting to succeed and create a better future for themselves.
Township Cinderellas is a powerful reminder of the importance of education and the obstacles that many young people face in their pursuit of a better life. It is a testament to the resilience and strength of the human spirit and leaves a lasting impression on anyone who watches it.
