ERMELO – Widowed women in the Gert Sibande District have been encouraged to invest their money in educating their children and taking care of the household as a single parent.

This transpired during the celebrations of the women’s month, where the Speaker of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature, Ms Thandi Shongwe led the gathering of widowed women on Thursday.

The aim of the forum is to sensitize and educate widowed women about their rights and responsibilities as single parents.

“Widowa are often faced with hardship and social stigmatization when the husband has departed from this earth. You need to be stingy to men and be protective of your children,” said Shongwe as she discouraged them from falling in love with young men, the so-called Ben 10’s”.

The Speaker said the Forum will provide a platform to share with each other challenges and frustrations experienced by widows so that these matters can be socially addressed.

She further advised that a district forum should be established that will deal with all issues faced by widows in Gert Sibande District.

The structure will have representatives from each local municipality within the district and it will be the link between the community of widows and the Legislature,” said Shongwe a she outlined the purpose of the forum.

The Speaker also advised the widows to consult with institutions such as Office of the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), South African Female Lawyers Association and the Department of Social Development for assistance when they are facing challenges relating to their situation as widows where they can be easily assisted.

Ms Zodwa Maseko a representative from the department of social development encouraged widows to undergo the three stages of grieving; that is shock, loss and acceptance in order to be able to deal with the loss.

“It becomes very difficult for widows to manage their finances when their loved ones have departed from this earth,” said Ms Nomaswazi Shabangu the Chairperson from the South African Women Lawyers Association (Mpumalanga Region).

She advised them to get assistance from a financial expert or a qualified lawyer.