A tribute to the Women in my life
I truly admire the women that raised and surrounded me throughout my life. I am who I am today as a result of their perseverance and hard work.
My great grandmother on my maternal side was a traditional healer and my great grandmother on my paternal side was a jail warden. Both these great women gave birth to my grandparents. My maternal grandmother was a prayer warrior and farm worker, my paternal grandmother was a prayer warrior and domestic worker. My grandparents gave birth to my mother and aunts. My mother became a nurse and my aunts became farm owners, teachers and school principals.
This depiction of my family only reflects the women in my life which have influenced the person I became. Through the women in my family I was able to draw inspiration and be steadfast during hard times. I am proud of the women in my life and the way in which they stood for what they believed in and persevered through the apartheid era and during life's turmoil.
I believe that my strength and ability to make the best of every situation comes from the spirit of appreciation and innovation that emanates from the women figures in my life. On bad days I sometimes recall a story told by my paternal grandmother about the time her daughters, my aunts did not have formal wear to pitch up at interviews, and my grandmother would make a plan to "borrow and return" a few items from her employer so that my aunts would look professional on their interview day. Today my aunts are retired teachers, and school principles. I draw from this story and I resonate on it as I am always reminded not to give up and to continuously make a plan to succeed especially during these hard times of the pandemic.
I am also blessed to have mothers and grandmothers and aunts and sisters through my association with my partner that have an incredible influence and provided a lot of support in my life.
I would also like to pay tribute to my sisters who are my mothers daughters. I am from a family of four daughters. Each one of my sisters are doing very well in their careers, we are a team of nurses, graphic designers, psychologists and a BCom student. As I look at what we have become as sisters, I realise that my parents did a good job in shaping and strengthening us. My dad is a Girl-Dad and has not faulted in making sure that we are able to do what boys are perceived to be able to do such as doing gardening, carrying heavy material, helping when hes doing maintenance around the house, being a tool hand and driving.
With that upbringing of not being limited because I'm only a "girl" has helped me in the workplace as I see being a woman a strength rather than a weakness.
I am a combination of strong spirituality, hard work, innovation, perseverance, and strength. I further like to extend appreciation to my friends and women in church for their constant prayers and laughs especially during the hard times.
Bongiwe Ngwane (Industrial Psychologist- MSocSc)