The story of Faith

By Elise-Marie Steenkamp

Before she blew out her first birthday candle, Faith Nogemane’s life story is straight from a Hollywood script.

She was born, 25 years ago as the last of her mother, Ellie’s six children – who at that time had 3 sons and 2 daughters. “My mother had a procedure done to keep her from getting pregnant again, but low and behold, there I was, and my mother saw it as a sign that this baby had to be born.”

Two days after giving birth, the family’s home fell victim to a township fire. In the chaos that ensued with everyone scrambling to get out the baby was left behind, as family members all thought someone else had the baby. Upon realizing their mistake, her father, Raymond, ran back into the shack that was already on fire to save the two-day-old baby girl.

A couple of months after that, while her mother was at work, the baby, by then aptly named Faith, was abducted. With the help of family and the police, she was found again and put safely back in her mother’s arms.

Today, Faith can’t remember any of the dramas that engulfed her early days, but she believes in her name. “There is something in me that is strong, even when I feel vulnerable. People always think I have a lot of confidence, but I am just like everyone else, questioning, and insecure. When I feel down, I remind myself of my name, and say to myself…you are here for a reason. You must have faith Faith!”

Faith Nogemane was the Agri’s Got Talent 2021 winner, and she remembers her family fondly as a place where everyone could sing and loved music. When I was a young girl, we lived at Molteno Bros. outside Grabouw. It was also there that she went to school, and she fondly remembers the farm life. “At any time, there was always singing and music at home. We would sing together. Mostly gospel. We could all sing,” she remembers.

Her voice falters slightly. She has lost so many family members over the years – her mother, father, and recently a sister. But her roots are strong, just like her name. It was her former employer at Wildekrans Estate, Botrivier, that encouraged her to enter Agri’s Got Talent. “You know how people can talk. Everyone knew that I could sing. When I heard of the opportunity, I grabbed it and entered. It was the best thing I ever did.”

Faith who has subsequently left Wildekrans to focus on her singing career has had a couple of great opportunities to sing at events. She likes to challenge herself and believes in growing as a person.

According to Faith competitions such as Agri’s Got Talent is not a ‘nice to have’ but a necessity for the agriculture sector. “There aren’t that many opportunities when you are a general worker, doing hard labour away from the hustle and bustle of a town. And a lot of folks are very talented but don’t have many opportunities.  AGT is a door opener. After I won the competition, my colleagues were so excited and proud. Agriculture would be poorer without events like Agri’s Got Talent.”

And for Faith? The success I had with AGT has built my confidence. Before AGT I was shy and kept to myself. But now, I can get on a stage and sing in front of the whole world.”

Faith is looking forward to AGT 2022 and will be recording her demo album with the AGT team soon.