Ashleigh Whiteway: What makes women powerful is how we just get on and do something. There is no relying on someone else to get it done for us. If you have a need and a purpose you just have to do it.
Though the strength yielded by women is something that should be celebrated all year long, August, in our country, puts at the centre the power women have to enforce change.
With this in mind, the paper headed into the Fairland community to ask one simple question, ‘What makes women powerful?’ Though the answers may have varied, one thing remained true, the recognition that no matter what walks of life women come from, they each have the power within them to enforce change.
Here is what some locals had to say….
Larissa van der Westhuizen: I think what makes women powerful is the fact that we are women. From the changes we go through from becoming mothers and more; as women sticking together, and having each others’ backs. I feel like we have such a great bond even when we don’t know each other; we can always empathise and sympothise with one another through the struggles we go through in life.Francois Maritz: The fierce tenacity women have. Even in times when emotions play such a big part in who and what they are, they have the tenacity to always push through and not let that bad thing have them fall short in any way. Another trait that makes women powerful is the love and care they have. No matter what you do, they will always have that sense of forgiveness with them.Tom Miles: When we speak of power, we can sometimes misinterpret it and think someone must be forceful or overly assertive. But a good leader is someone who is compassionate, loves people and is prepared to listen. I think women generally do this better than men, and women in leadership positions particularly are not given the opportunities they deserve but need to be listened to. All women are leaders in many ways – as mothers, daughters or teachers. I do not think we give women in our countryKennedy Mawashusha: Without women, men cannot survive. God created Adam and from his rib came Eve. As I always see, men and women share a 50/50 role which makes our homes stable and through us listening to one another we create a balance.
