Open Letter to Women

Dear Women

Let me correctly greet you in fact, dear beautiful Imbokodo

My name is Teboho Thuswa, I’m a motivated speaker and not a motivational speaker because challenges I encountered at an early age motivated me to speak, appreciate and change people’s lives. 

I'd like to take this moment and grant my self an opportunity to acknowledge the most amazing thing that gave brought honey to earth which is a Woman! Yes, A women! You women in this world are the lovely beings who have taught children who became adults to walk on the roads of life. My inclusive overview is to strikingly tell you that you are extraordinary beautiful, special and distinctive. When God created a man with his image, Adam, he knew that what he is bringing in the world for Adam will be incomplete without Eve and that's when he realised that someone special must come on board. You are very powerful and are the nourishing power of the Universe. I strongly believe that whoever has deep respect for women of the world, will remain free from diseases of earth.

I have at some point always wondered why we celebrate Women's Day on the 9th August in South Africa until I knew more about our real rich history, I was just thrilled to find out that it has indeed nothing to do with honouring women just because they need another “Mother’s Day” but because it is a moment when the women of South Africa look back and draw inspiration from the 20,000 women who marched bravely on the Union Buildings in 1956, and who pronounced “Wathint Abafazi, wathint mbokodo”, Strike a woman and you have struck a rock. And while we honour the leaders of this historic act of rebellion, we must also remember that the majority of those who courageously marched were considered ‘ordinary women’ and we must also remember them. The great Maya Angelou beautifully says “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women”. This month we appreciate you woman, we want you to know that we do love you dearly. When I talk about women I am not talking about women of the specific races or religions because all women have a warrior heart!

If I had the ability to hand each one of you a beautiful red rose, I would passionately do so because I understand the significant value of your forte. And as you amazing woman let your light shine, you unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As you are liberated from your fear, your presence automatically liberates others like myself. Thanks in no small part to the courage and determination of the women of 1956 and beyond, our democratically elected government has repealed old laws that discriminated against women, especially black women, embedded gender equality into our constitution and passed new laws to promote gender equity in employment, and human rights for women in the community and the family. Hillary Clinton boldly says “There cannot be true democracy unless women’s voices are heard. There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own lives. There cannot be true democracy unless all citizens are able to participate fully in the lives of their country.”

Much of your strength as a woman can come from the resolve to replenish and fill your own well and essence first, before taking care of others. R.P. Falconer nicely says “Only women will ever know the true struggle and sacrifice it takes to create life. Authors come in at a close second.”  And I think, with never-ending gratefulness, that the young women of today do not and can never know at what price their right to free speech and to speak at all in public has been earned. The most startling manifestation of the continued subordinate position of women is reflected in our statistics on violence against women, some of the worst in the world. In South Africa a woman is murdered by her male partner every six hours. Rape statistics vary because at least two out of three rapes are not reported, but it is estimated that at least 150 women are raped a day. And one out of every four women in South Africa experiences domestic violence.  

In a book called The Collector, John Fowles says “The power of women! I've never felt so full of mysterious power. Men are a joke.” Our society shall never make progress unless it changes its basic objective of making things easier; instead our main objective should be to make men stronger! I say "men" as women have always had and shall continue to have all the strength needed. And I now fully understand my sisters when they say every woman has a story that's been told a maxim of one soul, maybe less and that is why you'll never hear me call a woman slut, bitch or a dyke, no matter what she does, because I do not blame her,  I blame the men who have emotionally and physically raped her, I blame these corporations whose images tell them they hate her, And I put my arms on her shoulder and tell her how great to life and to God that SHE created her. Men can have an obvious display of heroics or strength or accomplishment, but it is the unsung women throughout all ages of humankind who have endured with superlative strength, beauty and love, often with secret suffering, that deserve absolute respect and acknowledgement. They are the true heroes of humanity. They are the champions who have birthed and nurtured us, who have held us together at the most integral level, when men seemed intent only on tearing apart the fabric of life for irrelevant ideals

Women, you are Mother Earth’s heartbeat, it is your responsibility to bring peace, harmony and balance back to the world. This will not happen if you continue to find fault with yourselves and perpetuate it on your fellow sisters. Because you women are special, unity amongst yourselves like the women of 1956 era is extremely necessary, today young women are divided and it worries me a lot because South Africa is at a point were it is ready to be led by women, I mean you beautiful women have a strength that is beyond reasonable doubt. 

You are God’s special creation! Via Genesis 2:22, we understand that in the account of the creation there is something special about the woman and how she was created and in addition there is also a special purpose for the creation of the woman. When we consider the way and the purpose of the woman, we can see that she is a special creation of God that cannot be found anywhere among the angels or anywhere else on earth. As we read the Bible about the creation we see that God created the man from an inanimate object which is dust and then gave him life. The birds, plants, and animals came from the water and the land. The only creation that came from substance that was already alive is the woman. She came from the body of the man.

The strength of a woman is not measured by the impact that all her sufferings in life have had on her; but the strength of a woman is measured by the extent of her refusal to allow those sufferings to dictate her and who she becomes. I am at a point where I’m tired to hear certain names being appreciated all the time and today all women must know that they are appreciated and special. Women, whether you are rich or poor just know that in God’s eyes you are all the same, you are amazing just the way you are! You are the realest Imbokodo, please continue to take care of this beautiful earth. You are loved.

Yours genuinely

Teboho Thuswa, @tebohothuswa