A 46-year-old Alex man has been described as a true embodiment of the role modern men should play in the upbringing of their children.
Though a hardcore Zulu man, Derrick Tshabalala, who originally hails from KwaMajozi in Msinga in KwaZulu-Natal near the small town of Pomeroy, was showered with praise for being an example of what men should be and do in a modern South Africa.
The praise for Tshabalala, who was the only man accompanying his wife, Babhekile Thembelihle Zwane (38) to the launch of the Post Natal Care Club at the 4th Avenue Clinic, came from the clinic’s operations manager Sister Ina Madiga when she delivered her opening remarks.
“As I open my remarks, I must pay tribute to this man who is the only thorn among roses who accompanied his wife to this function. He is the true embodiment of what men in this township and the country should be.
“We always call upon men to play a meaningful role in the upbringing of their children and he is doing just that. We need to recognise his vital role and hope it will inspire other men to take a leave out of his book,” Madiga said.
In an interview, Tshabalala pointed out he always accompanies his wife to every clinic visit for their eight-month-old boy-girl twins as long as he is available unless he is at work.
Tshabalala and his family of five other children came to Alex in 2020 when he got a job but has since lost it. “I am now available full-time to help my wife in various chores even at home and also when it comes to taking our babies to the clinic. I don’t miss a visit,” he said.
Tshabalala, whose eldest child is an 18-year-old Grade 9 learner at Alexandra High School, called on other men to join him and participate in the daily lives of their children and also help their wives in various chores of the house.
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