A group of women from the Thengwe Territorial Council in the Mutale area, under the banner of Vudzidzhena Royal Women's Forum, visited the Tshanzhe Royal House outside Thengwe village on Saturday, 29 January.
The brain behind the Vudzidzhena Royal Women Forum is Dr Thidziambi Nethengwe, who is also its coordinator. She explained that they started the forum to educate royal women on cultural matters, such as the royal language (luambo lwa musanda in Tshivenda), traditional schools and dances, such as the domba, mula, tshigombela, malende and tshikona, so that the culture and traditions of the Vhavenda nation would not be forgotten by future generations.
The first ladies (vhafumakadzi vha vho -thovhele), including Ms Divhani Tshivhase, Ms Mavis Tshikundamalema, Ms Mufumakadzi Ha-Rammbuda and Ms Ndikundisani Rammbuda, were also invited to the event to address the women.
"Traditional leaders are the custodians of culture; therefore, the royal women play a pivotal role in educating the communities in their villages. We also lend a helping hand to each other as royal women when it comes to matters related to family and respect to our chiefs, as they are royal leaders," Dr Nethengwe said.
According to her, they have already joined the digital world by signing up for Unisa's early child development training programme, where they received basic training in computer literacy to help them, among other things, to communicate better via WhatsApp and be able to attend virtual Zoom meetings, especially in this time of the Covid-19 pandemic where people are not allowed to gather in large numbers.
Nethengwe said that the women's forum already had plans afoot to erect the Thengwe Community Radio Station. Programmes will focus largely on women's development and how they can become self-sustained. She added that they were also working hand in hand with the Rock of Ages Foundation, which caters for helping disabled, poor and vulnerable children, so that they can realise their dreams, despite living with such conditions.
Thovhele Midiyavhathu's first lady, Ms Divhani Tshivhase, said the women's forum must also discuss issues of teenage pregnancy and how to stop it, and focus more on education. She further advised that they discuss the possibility with their husbands to set aside more land, so that they can go back to the fields and plough.