The communities of Welgedacht, Etwatwa and Daveyton recently came together to host an honourary event to celebrate Women’s Month.
The festivities started with soccer matches and a marimba performance by members of the John Wisely Centre in Etwatwa.
Women from various sectors hosted the educational leg of the event to motivate and teach those in attendance.
Captain Ramothakhi Maqabe of the Eastern Springs Local Football Association said the event was a huge success.
“The women, who include Kedibone Ngcobo, a professional nurse; Palesa Conco, a physiotherapist; Tsogang Mbonani, a social worker and a stress management specialist; former Mrs South Africa finalist, Thembisile Mnguni; and Brigadier Thembeka Gwabushe, the Springs SAPS station commander, were present to encourage everyone, especially young girls, to dream big,” he said.
He believed approaching the appreciation of women in different spaces was the angle they needed to make a tangible difference.
“We didn’t want to be boring, so we added the performances and the different youth groups to bring in the vibe and motivation.
“We also had 65 ‘amatjitji’ present at the event. We want to start teaching girls at the grassroots from a young age to stay away from sex and teach them to be responsible women when they grow up by abstaining and being proud of their purity.”
Maqabe hoped to attract more young people, especially girls, into the sports and recreation sectors.
“I believe what has discouraged women from entering the sports industry is politicising it. Another thing that has not helped is the amount of dedication and effort put into girls’ sports.
“Girls in soccer start late, whereas the boys get taught from as early as the age of five and sometimes earlier – putting the girls at a great disadvantage.”
He also felt female athletes were set up for failure because there weren’t enough professional bodies to accommodate them.
“Another thing, most organisations that deal with women in sports aren’t professionally recognised, and we need to change that.”
He thanked everyone who helped make the event a reality.
“We thank all the contributors who helped make the event a success. A special thanks goes to Phineas Khoza, who was instrumental in getting us sponsors. We are eternally grateful.”
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