Meet the woman in GBV victims’ corner

Carol Mosiamo is working around the clock to ensure the well-being of marginalised women and gender-based-violence (GBV) survivors.

Mosiamo is a GBV activist, philanthropist, social entrepreneur and founder of South Africa’s Heroines Awards, an annual event aimed at honouring women who have dedicated their lives to assisting communities.

Recipients of the awards include those running non-profit organisations specialising in assisting the community, public servants, who do their job with a passion and every community builder working hard to make a difference in other people’s lives.

The awards launched in 2012 in the Free State are now a force to be reckoned with as they are held nationwide and attract nominees from other African countries. Since the awards were launched, more than 1 500 women have been honoured.

“I am happy that the awards that started provincially are now recognised, even abroad. It is pleasing to see that community builders from many African countries have developed an interest in the Heroines Awards.

“What motivated me to start these awards is what I experienced and working for the Free State department of social development.

“I was assisting women from indigent backgrounds who motivated me to start the awards and the foundation that I use to assist GBV survivors to overcome problems and start businesses.”

Forget Women’s Day and start projects

“I started these two women-uplifting projects when I was still employed at the legislature but, later, I decided to resign from my full-time job after realising that I was in love with my community work.

“As a rape survivor and a GBV victim, when I assist women and girls to deal with their problems, I also find solace.”

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Mosiamo believes South Africa is not doing enough to celebrate women and also failing to protect them against GBV and related crimes.

She believes instead of spending millions on Women’s Day events, government should direct the money to projects aimed at addressing women and girl issues.

“We inject a lot of funds into women’s celebration events but at the end of the day, the people we are claiming to hold those events to celebrate continue with their sufferings.

“How does spending millions on an event held assist a GBV survivor in Soshanguve? I think we need to have a department to deal with GBV cases only. This will assist the government to remain focused on addressing this scourge.

“We also need a GBV-oriented subject in schools in which children will be taught to create a generation that will never abuse women and children.

“We just have subjects in which they just touch on GBV issues without offering serious lessons about it.”

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Help that goes beyond just one woman

Mosiamo says she chose to focus on assisting women because she believes empowering a woman is like assisting her entire family, because they are the pillars of the household.

Mosiamo says in a country like South Africa, where girls and women are faced with challenges including rape and poverty, there is a need for support such as that offered by her foundation.

“The service we offer includes business mentorship and counselling for GBV survivors to transform them into entrepreneurs. I don’t wish to see young girls growing up the way I did. I was forced to date an older man so that I could get money to raise my younger brother.

“The situation was bad in a way that there was no support system at all during my teenage years.”

She added: “My upbringing was difficult because at home we sold alcohol and that exposed me to people including relatives who molested me at the age of seven and I was raped when I was only 11. At the age of 16, I was gang raped. I was also abused in marriage. I remember there was a time when I ran away with my son, while he was still a toddler.”

The Heroines Award Foundation has subawards in which traditional leaders and men are honoured for their contributions to society.

Mosiamo was born in 1978 in Atteridgeville, Pretoria. She completed her matric at Harmony High School, did a call centre certificate at Tshwane College and studied business management and obtained other qualifications at the University of South Africa.

Now she is a single parent raising three children: two boys and a girl.

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