I am afraid of women that walk among us

I remain afraid of the women that walk among us. If there is anything I am learning from the Olievenhoutbosch murders, it is that mothers can be toxic.

I’m talking about mothers who weigh heavily on their children, burdening them with their challenges. They force young boys to morph into men before their time, ultimately bringing truth to the notion that some single mothers turn their sons into pseudo-husbands – resulting in a large number of broken men.

We may be disappointed at the general inability of men of our generation. We may frown upon their absence and even their present absenteeism. We may protest their subjection of women and children to gender-based violence and even financial abuse.

But we must also demonstrate the same criticism upon the dangers of the toxicity of women who raise children – boys and girls – in a dangerous, narcissistic manner. These are women who turn blind eyes to the sexual exploitation of children, women who physically and emotionally abuse their offspring. These are conversations we must be mature enough to have if we want to be sincere about the general failings of men.

While we see the existence of patriarchy, may we never be selectively blind to the danger posed by women. There are murderous woman that live among us, like sisters who band together to brutally kill their mother for life cover. Women who kill out of scorn. Women who kill lovers.

The social construct is that women are the caregivers. We are the attentive and loving parents – the ones who would rather starve than have our children go without. But as gruesome as men are, that tag also applies to some women. The modern, mostly city, man is very oppressive, with crude innuendos, neglecting responsibilities and burdening the woman who must carry his load while remembering to submit to his every (un)reasonable whim.

By the same token, let us with as much zeal demonstrate our anger at the perpetrators of heinous crimes when they wear skirts.

Kekeletso Nakeli-Dhliwayo.

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