A safe space for young girls

Two women from Kagiso have taken it upon themselves to help the children from their community by looking after them in the afternoons and teaching them valuable life skills.

Nthabiseng Nalane grew up in Kagiso where she saw the lives that many of the children were live every day. She explained that she noticed issues like teenage pregnancy, drugs and alcohol being problems, and she felt that the girls in the community were allowed to become pregnant at a young age.

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The mother of two girls wanted to make a difference so she started by taking in 20 girls after school, helping them with homework, feeding them and assisting with any other needs they may have. This initiative has grown to the extent that she is now caring for 72 girls.

She said the girls open up to her and tell her about the issues they face in their daily lives.

Tumi Molefe is a domestic violence survivor who has lived in Kagiso for the past 32 years. In June 2021 she was assaulted by the father of her son for almost two hours. She explained that they had spent a pleasant Sunday with his family, but that at one stage he disappeared for hours. When she asked him where he had been he assaulted her. Her poured petrol over her and threatened to set her alight. He tried to hit her with a metal steering wheel lock, dragged her down the road and threatened to run her over with the car before finally taking her to his house and threatening to shoot her. This all happened in front of their two-year-old son.

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She spent months trying to get her case to court after she initially was told that the case had been dropped. In November 2021 she started the girls growth group and eventually heard about what Nalane was doing. She decided to join her and together they are trying to help the girls of Kagiso.

For her counselling is telling her story and that abuse is abuse.

I feel that some of the girls may have been beaten and do not know they can get help,” she said while explaining how her story can help these girls.

The ladies are also supported by their ward councillor Motsamai Taunyane who is trying to get them a bigger space to help the girls in the afternoon. He has been helping with donations to assist the women and their cause.

Nalane explained that they would love a social worker to visit them once a monthly to talk to the girls. They also need chess boards, netball posts, things to keep the girls busy and loads of food to feed the children.

On Women’s day Molefe and Taunyane held a drive for the community to assist them with donations of clothes, food and pads in order to support Nalane and her cause.