By Anelisa Bentele
When it comes to the South African government, farm and rural areas are not a priority, and farm communities are not at the top of the list in anything. Zanele Mngxuma and Zavalo Bashe are community members from the Tyelerha area in the Eastern Cape who came together as part of the community to host a Heritage Month event on 1 October 2023. The event was meant to be on 24 September 2023 but due to heavy rains, it was postponed.
At the heritage event, there was a slot on teachings about our heritage, which was done by Mr Bashe, one of the organisers. Poets also entertained the community at the event. The invited guests were the Police Captain from the local police station and the Isikhalo Womxn’s Movement, who were invited to talk about Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The thought behind making GBV the theme of the day was because it is increasing in the farm areas a lot too, but the farm communities don’t often get platforms aimed at being educated about it.
Luthando Siko, a Tyelerha community member, had this to say about the event: “The event was great, and it was the most needed thing to be done eTyelerha. I’m very proud of the organising committee. Now I know that there is an organisation that empowers our women and girls.”
Zavolo Bashe, the Community Liason Forum Chairperson said: “The motivation for making this event was to educate and entertain the youth. It’s been a while since we have held events in this farm. I believe [hav]ing events [like this]is [a]way that unites and informs people.”
The event was a success and the community listened to the speakers with interest. During the closing remarks which were done by one of the organisers, Zanele Mgxuma thanked everyone who came and thanked the guests. She said she wanted to work with the Isikhalo Womxn’s Movement as she relates to the kind of work it does.
The Salem farm area is a therapeutic area – there is only the sound of birds, trees, and animals. Few cars pass by – maybe after an hour. The houses are very far apart from each other which leads you then to ask yourself what happens in cases of emergency? What if one is being chased by a boyfriend? It could easily result in the death of a victim. It is clear that there needs to be more educational information, especially for the women and girls in the area.
Bentele is the co-director of the Isikhalo Womxn’s Movement against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. This article was first published by Karibu! Online on 12 October 2023.
