A member of the Thulamela mayoral committee and the secretary of the Vhembe ANC Woman's League, Cllr Thina Mbedzi, has urged women in Thulamela not to wait for hand-outs but to start cooperatives.
She addressed the women during a recent event at the Thohoyandou Indoor Sports Centre, aiming to look at ways how women could improve their lives. Mbedzi said that it was time for women to take their "rightful positions in the community. Women have been subjected to many forms of discrimination and abuse for a long time and the time is now that we stand up and take our places in the community."
She added that one of the main causes of poverty and unemployment was the lack of knowledge in this country which had many opportunities. She appealed to the women to use the resources at their disposal and to start cooperatives "which would free us from being dependent on men, who subject us to abuse because of this dependence".
Ms Mashudu Mashamba (34) from Itsani said the event had been an eye opener for her. "As an unemployed woman in a village, one feels that being employed means being absorbed in government departments, but today I have learned that I can create employment myself," she said.