Women’s Day: Blame apartheid for our miseducation
Like many of my fellow Swazis, I’ve come to accept that our country could just as well be classified as a South African province. It annoys the hell out of us when South Africans in particular say, “You guys in Swaziland MUST just be officially incorporated into South Africa as a tenth province and Lesotho the 11th…”
It doesn’t annoy me anymore though. Firstly, because I realise that even if Swaziland did become a part of South Africa, it would not happen in my lifetime. Secondly, the reality is that we depend heavily on South Africa for most commodities including electricity, mobile telephone communications, food, jobs…you name it. Heck we even use their currency as legal tender inside our kingdom, just like the BaSotho.
Simunye (we are one)
We sing along with vigor to their gospel harmonies courtesy of the likes of Joyous Celebration and Rebecca Malope, and we dance like mad to their Kwaito. We scratch our heads a few times before calling a distant Aunt to remind us who our area’s Chief is when filling out passport application forms, but we will tell you in an instant who Big Nuz and Professor are.
Don’t get me started on that Generations soapie – we live there – with Choppa. We’ve been living there since SABC 1 had that “Simunye, we are one” theme song. Even our own Swazi TV elatedly announced recently that they are bringing Generations to the local screen – to make sure we stay living in Mzansi fo sho.
We don’t envy their violent service delivery protests, or Marikana what-what, or their shacks and squatter camps though. In fact we mock them for these things sometimes - "Tatane" (our own version of the popular South African expression "shame" which translates to "poor thing"), we scoffed, when their own policemen killed civilian Andries Tatane during a protest march.
But we shop till we drop at their Riverside Mall in Nelspruit, Gateway Mall in Durban, Eastgate Mall in Jo’burg, Mall of the North in Polokwane we are there – we decisively chop our dough in SA, sometimes straight after we “Check In” via Facebook, “O.R. Tambo International Airport”, without a care in the world of who this O.R. Tambo chap is.
We pride ourselves in getting our education from their high schools - Cefups Academy et al, all the way to their universities which are listed as among the best in Africa and the world – Wits, UCT, Rhodes, Howard College etc, that’s how we roll. Our sporting dreams are in either black and white or black and gold…true Wafa Wafa mode. We even shamelessly own their green bar-coded ID books.
Afterall, we Swazis and South Africans are neighbors, siblings if you like, hence sometimes we pull out a cute kid brother face and ask for a R2.4 billion loan from them while sometimes we pull a don’t-touch-me-on-my-studio-type straight face, “Hey, look here Big Brother South Africa, shut up! You’re immature, so quit meddling in our sovereign affairs”.
Yup, in true sibling rivalry manner, we stand behind Percy, nudging him occasionally with jeering looks as he tells them, "Just because you South Africans are better at soccer than Swaziland, you think you can dictate how Swaziland should be governed? You are off the mark."
We love each other like that. We have a shared history you see, a history we have always embraced. Our own late King Sobhuza II for instance, was in 2006 conferred by then President Thabo Mbeki, with The Order of The Companions of O.R. Tambo (in Gold status) by South Africa's Advisory Council on National Orders at a colourful event held at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
This was in recognition of King Sobhuza II's exceptional contribution to South Africa’s struggle against apartheid through supporting the ANC-led liberation movement in times of need. We come a long way with our neighbor.
So it’s not surprising then that we also “celebrate” Women’s Day along with them come August 9th each year. Or is it?
Like I’ve said, I have no qualms about mirroring on my Swazi identity by digging into my shared South African heritage.
Commercializing women
However, if the local media in Swaziland then portrays South Africa’s Women’s Day as an international day to celebrate women, then I realize we have problems.
It was very disturbing to see columnists and journalists last Friday dedicate sheets of newspaper to honor Swazi women in “celebration of (international) women’s day” and even “women’s month”, without making even one mention of the origins of this South African public holiday. Not one hint.
Eateries and other commercial enterprises in the kingdom have over the years publicly issued invites around this time of the year to women to visit them “to pamper yourself as part of women’s day”. This for me is even more disturbing – commercializing the day like this is an insult to the reported 20,000 South African women of 1956 who marched under the banner of the Federation of South African Women to the Union Buildings on August 9.
I imagine it’s an insult because, these women marched against the apartheid law that required all black South Africans and women of all races to carry a Pass wherever they went, an oppressive law restricting their freedom of movement as human beings. This march was an act of defiance, of bravery in the face of a brutal racist and sexist government considering that prior to this historic march, women had been imprisoned for demonstrating for the same reason – refusing to carry passes.
Strike a woman, strike a rock
These wives, mothers, sisters, lovers were politically conscious community builders who risked their lives in the struggle for political freedom. They did not leave the warmth of their homes in Cape Town and the Free State to march to Pretoria so that we would later honor their efforts by having free alcoholic drinks or a manicure at a discounted price at some upmarket place because it’s Women’s Day/Month. No. These are women who refused to be prostituted without their consent.
Whereas it’s okay for us to pamper ourselves as women, I say we should never forget the significance of what those before us did, be it on August 9, 1956 or any other time before us – in our homes and rural and urban communities, women have always held their own. They stood up so that we could not blindly follow whoever decides what is right for us women or our families without our consent and approval – not the government, not the media, no one but women.
Their stance symbolizes our power as women and serves as a reminder that the struggle for justice continues for as long as there are still children being born from our wombs, born into endless injustices that should be dealt with by us women – homophobia, human-trafficking, forced marriages, forced migration etc.
Remember the women of Macetjeni who bared their nude buttocks in protest to Prince Maguga being installed chief of their area? These are the kind of women who came before us younger Swazi women.
What do you have to celebrate?
Otherwise I say we must sit down and let the South Africans do something alone for a change, if only three days after the widely reported celebration of Women’s Day 2013, we have the same local dailies running stories with headlines like “Campaign called off as women fear arrest”:
A ‘vote for a woman’ campaign that was to be held at Ntondozi Umphakatsi had to be cancelled amid fears that those participating in it could be arrested. The campaign, which was organized by members of the Lutsango women’s regiment under the Ntondozi Inkhundla, was scheduled for last week Friday morning. - reads part of the article in the Times of Swaziland, August 12, 2013
I know we enjoy a good laugh on their airport kak stories once in a while but please...let’s refrain from disrespecting our South African siblings and rather wait for March 8 if during “women’s month” we will have this headline: “No divorce in Swazi marriages – King”:
…The King said once a woman was smeared with red ochre (libovu), that meant the person was now a wife and therefore cannot be smeared with red ochre again by another family. Red ochre is a substance that a woman is smeared with during a ceremony known as kuteka, which is one of the early stages in customary marriage. “Once you are smeared with red ochre, it is not like in a marriage where you can divorce and then go on to sign another marriage document with another man. Once you are smeared with red ochre, no other family can also do that to you because that would be taboo to them. Nothing would ever go well for that family.” - reads part of the article in the Times of Swaziland, August 12, 2013
Sophia Williams-De Bruyn already has reservations about how some young South African women are interpreting Women's Day. I can only imagine how she'd feel to hear that foreigners who once sympathised with the cause are also erasing her foortprints in history. I can just see her shaking her head non-stop, along with her 75 year old index finger, and whispering "Not in my name. Not in my name" to your married lover's idea of "women's month pampering" -- a getaway weekend of raunchy sex at Magadzavane Lodge.
I could feel the pain and embarrassment in my brother Zwide’s cyber voice when last night I mentioned to him that I would be writing an article about how we Swazis go on and on about South Africa’s women’s day; “Ignorance at its prime...or maybe a desire to feel relevant. Swazis can be disappointing,” he said.
Ignorance or desire, I blame apartheid for it. Loaded statement I know, but ja, let’s blame apartheid.
PS: I read somewhere that Israel, Swaziland and Hendrik Verwoerd have something in common.
No divorce in Swazi marriages - King
Campaign called off as women fear arrest
Khanyisile Myeni - an exemplary woman
To all the real women: Salute!
It doesn’t annoy me anymore though. Firstly, because I realise that even if Swaziland did become a part of South Africa, it would not happen in my lifetime. Secondly, the reality is that we depend heavily on South Africa for most commodities including electricity, mobile telephone communications, food, jobs…you name it. Heck we even use their currency as legal tender inside our kingdom, just like the BaSotho.
Simunye (we are one)
We sing along with vigor to their gospel harmonies courtesy of the likes of Joyous Celebration and Rebecca Malope, and we dance like mad to their Kwaito. We scratch our heads a few times before calling a distant Aunt to remind us who our area’s Chief is when filling out passport application forms, but we will tell you in an instant who Big Nuz and Professor are.
Don’t get me started on that Generations soapie – we live there – with Choppa. We’ve been living there since SABC 1 had that “Simunye, we are one” theme song. Even our own Swazi TV elatedly announced recently that they are bringing Generations to the local screen – to make sure we stay living in Mzansi fo sho.
We don’t envy their violent service delivery protests, or Marikana what-what, or their shacks and squatter camps though. In fact we mock them for these things sometimes - "Tatane" (our own version of the popular South African expression "shame" which translates to "poor thing"), we scoffed, when their own policemen killed civilian Andries Tatane during a protest march.
But we shop till we drop at their Riverside Mall in Nelspruit, Gateway Mall in Durban, Eastgate Mall in Jo’burg, Mall of the North in Polokwane we are there – we decisively chop our dough in SA, sometimes straight after we “Check In” via Facebook, “O.R. Tambo International Airport”, without a care in the world of who this O.R. Tambo chap is.
We pride ourselves in getting our education from their high schools - Cefups Academy et al, all the way to their universities which are listed as among the best in Africa and the world – Wits, UCT, Rhodes, Howard College etc, that’s how we roll. Our sporting dreams are in either black and white or black and gold…true Wafa Wafa mode. We even shamelessly own their green bar-coded ID books.
Afterall, we Swazis and South Africans are neighbors, siblings if you like, hence sometimes we pull out a cute kid brother face and ask for a R2.4 billion loan from them while sometimes we pull a don’t-touch-me-on-my-studio-type straight face, “Hey, look here Big Brother South Africa, shut up! You’re immature, so quit meddling in our sovereign affairs”.
Yup, in true sibling rivalry manner, we stand behind Percy, nudging him occasionally with jeering looks as he tells them, "Just because you South Africans are better at soccer than Swaziland, you think you can dictate how Swaziland should be governed? You are off the mark."
We love each other like that. We have a shared history you see, a history we have always embraced. Our own late King Sobhuza II for instance, was in 2006 conferred by then President Thabo Mbeki, with The Order of The Companions of O.R. Tambo (in Gold status) by South Africa's Advisory Council on National Orders at a colourful event held at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
This was in recognition of King Sobhuza II's exceptional contribution to South Africa’s struggle against apartheid through supporting the ANC-led liberation movement in times of need. We come a long way with our neighbor.
So it’s not surprising then that we also “celebrate” Women’s Day along with them come August 9th each year. Or is it?
Like I’ve said, I have no qualms about mirroring on my Swazi identity by digging into my shared South African heritage.
Commercializing women
However, if the local media in Swaziland then portrays South Africa’s Women’s Day as an international day to celebrate women, then I realize we have problems.
It was very disturbing to see columnists and journalists last Friday dedicate sheets of newspaper to honor Swazi women in “celebration of (international) women’s day” and even “women’s month”, without making even one mention of the origins of this South African public holiday. Not one hint.
Eateries and other commercial enterprises in the kingdom have over the years publicly issued invites around this time of the year to women to visit them “to pamper yourself as part of women’s day”. This for me is even more disturbing – commercializing the day like this is an insult to the reported 20,000 South African women of 1956 who marched under the banner of the Federation of South African Women to the Union Buildings on August 9.
I imagine it’s an insult because, these women marched against the apartheid law that required all black South Africans and women of all races to carry a Pass wherever they went, an oppressive law restricting their freedom of movement as human beings. This march was an act of defiance, of bravery in the face of a brutal racist and sexist government considering that prior to this historic march, women had been imprisoned for demonstrating for the same reason – refusing to carry passes.
“The significance of the Women's March must be analyzed. Women had once again shown that the stereotype of women as politically inept and immature, tied to the home, was outdated and inaccurate.” – SA history archives
Strike a woman, strike a rock
These wives, mothers, sisters, lovers were politically conscious community builders who risked their lives in the struggle for political freedom. They did not leave the warmth of their homes in Cape Town and the Free State to march to Pretoria so that we would later honor their efforts by having free alcoholic drinks or a manicure at a discounted price at some upmarket place because it’s Women’s Day/Month. No. These are women who refused to be prostituted without their consent.
Whereas it’s okay for us to pamper ourselves as women, I say we should never forget the significance of what those before us did, be it on August 9, 1956 or any other time before us – in our homes and rural and urban communities, women have always held their own. They stood up so that we could not blindly follow whoever decides what is right for us women or our families without our consent and approval – not the government, not the media, no one but women.
Their stance symbolizes our power as women and serves as a reminder that the struggle for justice continues for as long as there are still children being born from our wombs, born into endless injustices that should be dealt with by us women – homophobia, human-trafficking, forced marriages, forced migration etc.
Remember the women of Macetjeni who bared their nude buttocks in protest to Prince Maguga being installed chief of their area? These are the kind of women who came before us younger Swazi women.
What do you have to celebrate?
Otherwise I say we must sit down and let the South Africans do something alone for a change, if only three days after the widely reported celebration of Women’s Day 2013, we have the same local dailies running stories with headlines like “Campaign called off as women fear arrest”:
A ‘vote for a woman’ campaign that was to be held at Ntondozi Umphakatsi had to be cancelled amid fears that those participating in it could be arrested. The campaign, which was organized by members of the Lutsango women’s regiment under the Ntondozi Inkhundla, was scheduled for last week Friday morning. - reads part of the article in the Times of Swaziland, August 12, 2013
I know we enjoy a good laugh on their airport kak stories once in a while but please...let’s refrain from disrespecting our South African siblings and rather wait for March 8 if during “women’s month” we will have this headline: “No divorce in Swazi marriages – King”:
…The King said once a woman was smeared with red ochre (libovu), that meant the person was now a wife and therefore cannot be smeared with red ochre again by another family. Red ochre is a substance that a woman is smeared with during a ceremony known as kuteka, which is one of the early stages in customary marriage. “Once you are smeared with red ochre, it is not like in a marriage where you can divorce and then go on to sign another marriage document with another man. Once you are smeared with red ochre, no other family can also do that to you because that would be taboo to them. Nothing would ever go well for that family.” - reads part of the article in the Times of Swaziland, August 12, 2013
Sophia Williams-De Bruyn already has reservations about how some young South African women are interpreting Women's Day. I can only imagine how she'd feel to hear that foreigners who once sympathised with the cause are also erasing her foortprints in history. I can just see her shaking her head non-stop, along with her 75 year old index finger, and whispering "Not in my name. Not in my name" to your married lover's idea of "women's month pampering" -- a getaway weekend of raunchy sex at Magadzavane Lodge.
I could feel the pain and embarrassment in my brother Zwide’s cyber voice when last night I mentioned to him that I would be writing an article about how we Swazis go on and on about South Africa’s women’s day; “Ignorance at its prime...or maybe a desire to feel relevant. Swazis can be disappointing,” he said.
Ignorance or desire, I blame apartheid for it. Loaded statement I know, but ja, let’s blame apartheid.
PS: I read somewhere that Israel, Swaziland and Hendrik Verwoerd have something in common.
No divorce in Swazi marriages - King
Campaign called off as women fear arrest
Khanyisile Myeni - an exemplary woman
To all the real women: Salute!
I say this should be published in the The Times Swaziland! NO DOUBT!
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