Semenya honoured at Spring Day celebration

POLOKWANE – She knew it would be challenging but she was determined to celebrate women and make them feel special. Jermina celebrates Women’s Month every year by organising different events in honour of the women in her community. This year, she hosted a Spring Day Women’s Celebration that took place in Seshego Zone 4, where the family members of Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya were the honorary guests.

According to Jermina, there is a theme tied to each event, this year the focus was on the War on Drugs. “Drug use is a huge problem among our youth, we wanted to bring attention to the issue and that is why it is the theme for this year’s event. The special guest speakers spoke about the effects of drug use on our children and society at large, as well as the topic of gender equality,” she explains.

She admits that putting together an event of this scale is not easy but she has the support of her family who always help her when it comes to her annual Women’s Day celebrations. According to Jermina, her husband has supported her from the get-go and she is very grateful to him. “I have a husband that supports and encourages me, and I love him for that. I am only one person and attempting to host events this big is a tall order but with the support from my husband, family and friends, I manage to pull it off,” she continues.

This year, Jermina wanted to celebrate the achievements of one woman in particular, Caster Semenya, who won gold at the recently-held Olympic Games. Semenya’s family attended the Spring Day Women’s Celebration and her sister, Mmaphuti said she was happy to celebrate the achievements of her famous sister and other women in the community.

“Semenya’s mother, Dorcus, said she is grateful to Jermina for inviting them to the event. “I am so happy because Jermina is so loving and she treated us very well and I hope God blesses her for many years to come,” she said.

vella@nmgroup.co.za