Women learn to defend themselves

A Fourways-based business group hosted an informative self-defence workshop for women on 6 February.

Twenty women took to the Woman’s Warehouse in Deco Park, and were welcomed with a pack with a practice pepper spray can and an alert-to-abuse bracelet. Two organisations did presentations on self-defence and what to do when in danger.

Attendees were taught ways in which to physically defend yourself if approached by someone with a gun, the correct use of pepper spray, and the ways security companies can protect you in an emergency.

James Clevely of Woman’s Warehouse said this is the second self-defence workshop the store has hosted.

“It’s incredibly important to have something like this as often as possible. So much can be learnt from these workshops, and we are hoping to host more of these in the future,” Clevely explained

“Planning this to take place during Covid-19 was incredibly tricky. As a result, we could only allow 20 women to take part in the workshop.”

Night Guard began their discussion on ways in which women can keep their families safe in the event of a break-in. Zaine Eblen discussed three crucial steps for the event of a home invasion.

“The first is to press your panic button, the second is to get you and your family to a safe zone in the house. Keeping your phone close by is important as the third step is to phone all the important numbers like the police and security companies.”.

In the second part of the workshop, Kalah Combat demonstrated physical moves one could use to get of the grasp on an attacker, and disarm someone with a gun. Instructors Rozelle Stipp and Michelle Hitchens spoke on the importance of self-defence for women. “It’s really good for them to realise the reality of the situation and the brutality of the attack. For them to be able to get a taste of that in a safe environment and realise they can overcome an attacker is really beneficial,” said Hitchens.

Stipp added, “A lot of the women were touched emotionally because of trauma, but they participated today, which is amazing. We had seen of the women who were here from the first workshop, and that means what we do is really effective.”

Attendees Amanda Skinner and Thanusha Pillay felt the workshop to be extremely helpful for what they may encounter in real life when asked about the day’s events.

Skinner said, “The self-defence today stuck with me. You never get that kind of training as a woman, so to know there is something I can do in an emergency situation is great. I now know some steps I can take in order to protect myself.”