Author: Keneilwe Sarah Miffie

Every year, in August, we honour women of all races and professions who staged a protest march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against inequality and all apartheid laws of South Africa at the time in 1956 when racial segregation was the law. The women were also protesting the introduction of Apartheid pass laws for black women in 1952. Pass laws determined where you worked, traveled and stayed. And every policeman had a right to ask for a pass from a black person and if she or he didn’t produce one at the time, they would be sent…

My late mother always used to say 12 months is a very long time to let it go to waste. She said, at the end of each year you need to reflect and count your blessings, no matter how small. At the same time, she said, you need to interrogate your failures as well. Use the lessons learnt as your guidance for the following year. My mother was from a rural village in Lesotho, Teyateyaneng, Ha-Motjoka. Locals call it Lioli (pronounced Diodi). Although she didn’t complete high school, she had an abundance of wisdom and humility. I doubt they teach that…