GQEBERHA – Their love story started with a birthday celebration in Cape Town. Lusanda Pepeta was turning 25 and through a mutual friend’s invitation, his future girlfriend Lisa Foslara joined the celebration, sparking a five-year love story that continues to flourish today.
As Lisa recalls, “from that day, we couldn’t stop talking to each other.” What began as a chance encounter at a birthday party has turned into five years for the young couple.
As students in Cape Town, Lusanda and Lisa watched their relationship grow alongside their academic pursuits. He was studying to become a pharmacist while she pursued industrial engineering, two ambitious young professionals with complementary strengths. Now 30, Lusanda works as a pharmacist while 25-year-old Lisa has established herself as an industrial engineer.
Their families, rooted in eMbizana and Alice (known as eDikeni) respectively, provided the foundation of values that would strengthen their bond.
After graduation, they made the bold decision to build their life together in Gqeberha, later moving to Kariega.
Speaking to the Express, the couple said what makes their relationship special isn’t just the time they’ve spent together, it’s how they’ve chosen to spend it.
Their love is built on mutual respect and trust, according to the couple.
Lisa describes Lusanda as someone who “ensures that I feel safe and loved at all times” and appreciates how “he respects me is no different from how he treats other people.” Both value hard work, family, faith, and genuine care for others. Lusanda admires Lisa’s “sense of urgency towards what she wants” and her “genuine love and care for people close to her.”
As Lusanda expresses, their relationship provides “emotional safety, shared humor, and mutual respect” that creates a bond that feels “both comforting and exciting.”
In their free time, the couple enjoys exploring different restaurants, cheering for their favorite teams during rugby and netball matches, and supporting each other through life’s challenges.
When they won the Boardwalk Hotel and Casino Valentine’s Day competition, their reaction was pure disbelief followed by excitement.
When asked what Valentine’s Day means to them as a couple, they responded: “It serves as a reminder that it’s not just about the number of years we’ve spent together and the endless day-to-day responsibilities that we help each other with. It reminds us that before all the years and the responsibilities, there is love, and that is what brought us to where we are now. It is because we fell in love with each other.”
Lisa describes Lusanda as her “In Case of Emergency” contact, someone she can count on any day. Meanwhile, Lusanda sees in Lisa a reflection of the values he holds close and someone who genuinely challenges him to be better.
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