Growing up in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape, I never saw young, beautiful and intelligent women drunk.
Back then, the women who were renowned for drinking were old women who would take the grandchildren they were looking after into the nearby taverns with them.
But today things have changed, seeing young and talented women abusing their bodies with alcohol is something we witness everyday.
Some of the women are so dependent on alcohol, they will do anything just to get a few Rand to buy beer.
Being a mother to a three-year-old girl, I could not help but wonder who takes care of the children when their mothers are so drunk they cannot even walk or talk properly.
On my way from Springs to Daggafontein in a taxi on Sunday, I noticed a woman sitting on the back seat. She was drunk.
You could tell from the smell of her body that it had been about three days since her last bath.
The smell, however, was not the worst part, this was still to come when the driver dropped her off.
It was shocking to see that the pants she was wearing were wet, and it was obvious that she had urinated on herself.
A group of children who were playing along the road, saw her, and immediately started taunting her.
It was as if they had seen her as a toy to play with.
The children ran towards her, singing naughty songs about her wet pants, while some even kicked her.
They lost their respect for her, and she lost her dignity.
My mind immediately thought about the embarrassment her children will have to endure when they are being teased by other children about their drunk mother.
There was no need to ask if the woman had slept at home the previous night, from her actions and the time, it was obvious the woman had been drinking since the previous day.
I also asked myself a question to which I still have no answer: is this woman married, and if so, how does her husband feel about her drinking so much?
I appeal to all the beautiful women of our country to be proud of who you are and respect yourselves.
Even if you don’t do it for yourself, do it for those who are close to you.
