Past says women are the heart of the home

MBOMBELA – Marriages must be built on strong pillars linked to the Almighty God.

Those were the inspirational words by Past Sthembiso Zondo to a bevy of women at the ARC last Thursday during Mzimari Productions’ Women’s Month closing function. It was attended by, the MEC for health and social services, Candith Mashego-Dlamini and a host of other leading ladies of the Lowveld region, among others.

“If you are in a marriage, invite Jesus into your home as only He will be able to repair damages that you cause in it, just because you’ve invited Him first, like He was invited at the wedding in Canaan when they suddenly ran out of wine, and He was there to replenish it. The same is true for a marriage, as long as He is present in your home, you will be sanctified,” he said to loud applause from the women, dressed to their nines according to the theme: red, black and bling.

You could have imagined being somewhere other than Nelspruit, judging from the huge attendance and classy attire of the women. It rather resembled the opening of parliament, yet it was local women celebrating their success in a male-dominated world.

“As women, one thing you need to master, is keeping tabs on what you say, as it might destroy your marriage. Watch out for what kind of friends you keep as some may be your worst enemies and drive you out of your home. Your sixth sense will enable you to distinguish between good and bad relationships.

“A very important point to make is, if a woman gets drunk in her home she destroys it. Drunken men have been destroyers of their own homes for way too long. It is time for women to take a stand and refocus the objectives of their families,” said Zondo.

One remarkable woman, Nontobeko Nkosi of KaNyamazane, shared her weight-loss triumph with the audience. She had been obese, weighing almost 143 kilograms, but because this negatively impacted on her career and opportunities, she embarked on a slimming routine and shed more than 54 kilograms.

“Being obese has its own stigma in society and you feel very uncomfortable as you walk about because people tend to stare at you. I now eat healthy and my entire family has been through the programme. It has worked wonders for me because opportunities have opened since I have lost weight. Next year I will be in Gauteng because they need me there, that’s what dedication to achieve this success has done for me,” she said.

As is customary at Mzimari Productions’ functions, a woman is honoured each year and the accolade went to none other than its CEO’s PA, Melanie Andrews, who has served the organisation with dedication since its inception. She won R5 000.

“As this is our fifth anniversary, I saw it fit to honour her as she’s been dedicated to this organisation and very patient, seeing to its tumultuous growth over the years. She truly deserves it. I also want to thank you as women for believing in us as an organisation. It has been inspirational and has urged us to plan for an even better function next year, as we need to evolve and improve our output, but all of this is because of your undying support as women of this province,” said CEO, Gugu Nyarenda.

The event was sponsored by FT Consultants and Mpumalanga News was the media sponsor.