By Sbongile Sokela
On 5 August, the Holiness Church in Kwa-Thema came alive with a powerful message for Women’s Month, “Know Your Worth.” The event, hosted by Ratanang Eldery Organisation in partnership with the Gauteng Liquor Board (GLB), brought together women from different walks of life to speak about love, mental health, responsible trading, disability awareness, and the challenges faced by mothers and grandmothers in the community.
Nomvula Sibanyoni, co-host and founder of the Rita Organisation, described the day as deeply meaningful. “This is a big day in my life, I thank the Lord, He’s been with us. Today we celebrate women, women with children at home, including those children who smoke. There is no space where they are talked about. We brought this into the community to help and show that there’s such a thing at Ratanang Eldery Organisation. But the challenge we have is that grandmothers lose their lives because of their grandchildren, it’s painful. We are here to see what we can do, the solution, and we saw that we should start where it starts, which is the mother.”
Representatives from the GLB explained why they were part of this conversation, even though their main mandate is alcohol regulation. “As the GLB, we can’t just turn our back and say we only deal with alcohol. Selling responsibly doesn’t help the situation if we ignore the social issues, that’s why we came together as women,” one speaker shared.
Josephine, a local liquor trader, stressed the importance of responsibility in the industry. “As women, we decided to come together and delegate when it comes to trading responsibly. We open our businesses to put food on our tables. Alcohol can be dangerous when abused, so trading responsibly means stopping a customer who’s had enough and ensuring they get home safely. Substance abuse affects us too, we can’t sleep at night because we fear robberies. I ask people to stop sending children to buy alcohol or to taverns for donations. In my business, I only sell from the age of 21 to comply.”
The event also became a place for personal testimonies. Danisile shared her journey of faith after her son battled drug addiction during his final year at university. “I trusted God, and finally my son was okay. This is a testimony to mothers who are on the verge of giving up, trust God.”
Mental health was another critical focus. Ms. Zinhle Nhlapho from Central Mental Health encouraged women to seek help early. “Follow the theme ‘Know Your Worth’ because as women we carry a lot, unemployment, children smoking drugs, alcohol abuse. But you don’t have to stay with the problem. We are here as social workers, you can come to us for free counselling. If we can’t help, we refer you to the right people. Stress can lead to depression, and if untreated, it can develop into Bipolar disorder, which is very serious. Let’s avoid that by getting help as soon as possible.”
The gathering left the women inspired, united, and more aware of the resources available to them, a true celebration of Women’s Month and the power of community.
