Pam Golding reach out

On Wednesday August  11 Pam Golding Properties invited woman from all walks of life to get together at the Farm Yard in Polokwane for the first Hats and Handbags evenings that is set to become an annual occurrence.

Woman were greeted at the entrance with a Pam Golding shooter gift glass of Sherry and a small gift bags.  The evening was held with supporting rape victims in mind. On the evening woman were asked to wear the funnest hat they have and bring an extra handbag as entry filled with anything they think will assist an rape victim to deal and overcome her ordeal. The gifts will then be taken to the rape crisis center in Pretoria as Polokwane do not have one of their own.

Handbags were brought in with everything from bath salts and creams to a little something sweet that may help a rape victim feel that she is not to blame for what happened and that she can feel good about herself again. Linda de Witt the Principal of Pam Golding Properties led the very informal program and handled most of the prizes that were handed out in different categories. The categories included the youngest woman , oldest woman, woman with the most interesting hat, woman with the most bling (rings and bangles) and the woman who had the most buttons on her outfit. After a break where the woman could enjoy some snacks and drinks another round of prize giving was held with a lucky draw.

Linda de Witt made time during the prize giving to speak to woman about the effects and statistics of rape in the Limpopo province and throughout South Africa. For her and many other woman in the city the biggest concern is that there is no rape crisis center in Polokwane meaning that there is no professional assistance for rape victims to be prepared for a trail or get the emotional and professional help they will need to deal with the court case.  “We are situated in an area where rape has become a daily news topic that we simply skip to look at another part of the papers and it is time that woman in Polokwane stop looking away and start realizing the effect of this brutal crime. And realize the part that we as mother play in the future of this crime.” she said. She said that woman underestimate the importance and influence they have in the future of this crime being that they are the mothers of boys that will become men and that the men will become a rapist or not depending on the believes and values is taught by his mother in the respect of a woman. “Many men have been brought up believing that if you are allowed to buy a woman a drink at a bar she has to sleep with you and she has no right to say no because she took the drink from you. In many cases the woman may have been wearing a dress that is too short and when she is then raped the men use the excuse that the woman was dressed in a way that she wanted it  o matter if she said no.

She ended off by saying that just as the community come together and support people with cancer they must come together and support victims of rape. “These victims need as mush love and understanding as one would give someone who is terminally ill because the statistics show that many victims have to wait as long as three hours before they are able to report a crime like rape while being interrogated by mostly men in police stations who many time ask them if they enjoyed what happened to them.” she said.

The biggest message on the evening was that there is no circumstance where it is okay to rape a woman no matter what happens or what she did or did not do and all woman must stand together to support the victims of rape even if you only give a bag of goodies and a little bit of yourself to help enrich the life of a stranger that could have been you.

According to Linda de Witt the evening was a great success and the event kicked off on a high note and can only get stronger each year. “The feedback from woman who attended the evening was extremely positive and everyone could not believe that they could be part of an event where you do not have to pay and the only cost is a little of your time in a fun environment with a small gift for someone you may never meet. The woman of Polokwane understand what it is all about and for me as an organizer of this function it is heart warming and very much appreciated. I would also like to thank all the sponsors of the evening for their open hearts and generous contributions, it is very much appreciated.” De Witt said.