reasons. Their fathers were off
working in a mine somewhere, able
to come home only during the
holidays. Their fathers had been
sent to prison. Their fathers were in
exile, fighting for the cause. Women
held the community together.
“Wathint’Abafazi
Wathint’imbokodo!” was the chant
they would rally to during the
freedom struggle. “When you strike
a woman, you strike a rock.” As a
nation, we recognized the power of
women, but in the home they were
expected to submit and obey.
In Soweto, religion filled the
void left by absent men. I used to