A 17-year-old learner from Thuto-Boswa Secondary School recently brought the seemingly insurmountable challenges of schoolgirls in Ventersdorp under the spotlight.
Adalia Ngwato painted a grim picture of the girls’ absenteeism from school in the absence of sanitary towels.
The Gr. 12 learner said that, if the parents cannot afford to buy sanitary towels, the girls end up missing school days. ‘I think it’s about time the government intervene and rolls out free sanitary towels to schools. If things like condoms are free, there is no reason why sanitary towels should not be,’ she objected.
This vocal learner who would like to be a social worker one day, says menstruation is a perfectly normal part of a young girl’s life. ‘It’s not something you can resist, like the urge to have sex; that is a choice,’ she said forcefully.
She painted a bleak picture of life in the township of Tshing. ‘I come across teenage girls living in poverty and some who have been abandoned by their parents. There’s no one to buy sanitary towels for them,’ she said passionately.
Her fellow learner, Susan Gagoganediwe (18) agrees that sanitary towels should be free. Besides the lack of feminine hygiene products in poor communities, she says women, in general, are some of the most vulnerable members of the society, constantly threatened by rape and violent crimes.
These young women were among the Gr. 12 learners in attendance when the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District executive mayor, MEG Security, GKLM Events, Kwame Communications cc and the actors of the eTV drama, Rhythm City, donated a three-month supply of sanitary towels to each of the girls.
Mrs Barei-Segotso-Mosiane, the district mayor, said, ‘We, standing here, do not want you to be absent from school and that is why we are donating these products to you.’ She advised the learners to embrace the various stages of womanhood but cautioned them about the responsibilities that go with it. ‘You cannot be a school learner and a mother at the same time. Be proud of your body and never let anyone touch it without your consent’.
Mapula Mafole and Mbalenhle Zakwe, two actresses from the popular soapie, motivated the learners to work hard and aspire to reach their goals.
Mapula said she has been through rejections, disappointments, and ridicule on her pursuit of becoming an actress. But, despite this, she soldiered on and persevered to star in one of the best-loved South African TV soapies. ‘I got to do what I do…I can and I will,’ she said.
She advised the learners to live by these principles as, she said, they catapulted her to stardom and ultimately, helped her reach her goals. This initiative has already been rolled out in Leruntse-Lesedi High in Makwassie, Lebaleng and Seiphemelo High in Ikageng
