KAMHLUSHWA – It was an emotional affair for the provincial legislature’s ANC chief whip,
Ms Thandi Shongwe when she met with other widows at the KaMhlushwa Community Hall on Saturday.
Shongwe, who recently lost her husband, established an annual widows’ forum through her office which was launched in Bushbuckridge last week and will rotate throughout every region before the elections.
At this meeting she told Mpumalanga News that this was an important forum for those people who were often forgotten once their husbands were gone.
“This programme is very dear to me and I am sure it holds the same value for the other widows.
“There isn’t an initiative that takes care of these women, and we saw fit to come up with this forum that seeks to close the gap and address their issues.
“We will create a platform where all the widows in the province will meet and share their stories while trying to find amicable solutions to the challenges they face daily.
“We want to create empowerment opportunities so they do not feel the heavy burden of having to raise their children by themselves.
“These women suffer the most painful realities after their husbands’ death. “They are subjected to abuse and insulted by their in-laws.
“We are here today to interact with one another and be a shoulder to cry on.
“But above it all we want to ensure them that the ANC government is here for them, to listen to their problems and hardships so that we can act accordingly.”
Shongwe, along with the standing committee on public accounts’ chairperson, Ms Nomsa Mtsweni and member of the legislature, Ms Joyce Maluleke, who are also widows and the Nkomazi mayor, Cllr Thuli Khoza, took turns pleading with and encouraging the women to vote for the ANC on
May 7. “Today, we are in these positions because you voted for us.
“So don’t be afraid or shy always to knock on our doors. The ANC cares for and loves you. Go out there and vote right,” pleaded Khoza.
This weekend the programme goes to Enkangala before it rounds off at Gert Sibande.
