‘Women have the power to break their own chains’
"Wisdom is gained by reading books to be able to stand for your life as a woman," said Humbelani Netshandama during the recent Women Empowerment Celebration.
LIMPOPO – The celebration took place at the University of Venda hosted by the youth-led organisation, Shereigns. Netshandama, a well-known motivational speaker motivated the women in attendance to empower themselves by focusing more on their academic careers.
The were urged to not only depend on their studies but to become business-minded as well. Shereigns is an empowerment organisation that was established last year by a group of female students at the University of Venda.
“Poverty will cripple you and make you a prisoner of your circumstances. We need young women to empower themselves. You start by leading your own life, leadership has to be learned and wearing nice clothes will make you look presentable but they will not make you wise” Netshandama continued.
She voiced concern that students have all the time in the world to start their own businesses but instead they go around “gallivanting” the shops at the shopping complex while they should instead be coming up with ideas on how to empower themselves as women.
“Use your brains early in life. Do not study with the expectation of just becoming employed. Become independent and start your own business so you can become leaders, not followers. Do not fall into the comfort zone of simply being employed. The reason for our existence was not for us to follow but to lead, we are here to rule, control and determine our own destinies.”
The event was attended mostly by young women from the areas around the University of Venda. “A better mind controls its time, education only makes a person educated and employable but reading books makes you intelligent,” said Shereigns Marketing Manager, Mulalo Mudau, the organiser of the celebration event.
She concluded with: “Do not stop reading just because you have a degree. Continue reading, not only for your studies but for developing your thoughts and creating a better understanding of the business world”.
