The African Child
I don’t know about you but I certainly find it rather interesting that International Day of the African Child, Youth Day and Father’s Day all fall on the same day this year in South Africa. It’s like the phases of a person, don’t you think? A child, a youth then an adult (father). Maybe I’m stretching things a little too far here but besides just having a ‘packed’ June 16 where commemoration of certain events are concerned, this year certainly has me considering a different narrative – today is one of a kind!
International Day of the African Child has been celebrated on June 16 since 1991, initiated by the Organisation of African Unity. The day honours the 1976 Soweto Uprising participants and goes further into drawing attention to the education provided to African children and the need to improve it and fulfil the right for every African child to have access to education. For those who have more, they are encouraged to share their abundance with an African child.
Youth Day is a public holiday in South Africa, celebrated on June 16 as well, also honouring those who shed their blood in 1976 for an improved education system that catered for South African children, equally. Thousands of school children marched on the streets of Soweto, demanding that their rights be honoured and be taught in their own language. Hundreds of school children were shot and injured and over a hundred killed in the protests that continued in the following few weeks. South Africa honours the students who dared to stand up against the apartheid government and suffered for it.
And then there’s Father’s Day! Fatherhood, the influence of fathers in society and paternal bonds are celebrated. Father’s Day is recognised worldwide; it honours male parenting, fathers and father figures on the difference that they make in the lives of their children.
Today is a little more special for me and I’m happy to dub it ‘The Day of the African Child’. Here is how it all comes together for me and how today had me thinking and creating a narrative that these ‘days’ sparked: with International Day of the African Child you have, of course, the child who has a dream about ‘this Africa’, a pure and untainted vision of a beautiful and happy Africa. The hope for a better future, “our ancestors’ wildest dreams.” The child with a dream speaks of hope but also draws us to a tragedy and sad reality because even though they have the dream, most of the time they don’t have the tools to achieve that dream. Then we talk about the June 16 1976 Uprising in which the youth died. The youth, who was once a child, grew up to face threats to their dream. So we find ourselves with a youth who decided to take matters into their own hands because the adults failed them and so took to the streets and blood was shed. And then we have Father’s Day and of course, the youth has now grown into parents themselves. And throughout these phases, there is still the sense of hope and tragedy weaved into the story of each individual; in this phase we have fathers who are present and contributing in the best of ways in the lives of their children and protecting their dreams. There’s a fantastic story to tell there about how responsible and present fathers make all the difference in a world where many more children are without fathers and thereby embodying a fatherless nation without a dream nor a future to be hopeful for. The absence of fathers and/or father figures is still a real issue in South Africa and in this narrative, the child’s dream remains a dream.
So today what we have, essentially, is a child who has a dream, the youth that died for the dream and the father who has to deliver the dream.
Happy International Day of the African Child, Happy Youth Day and Happy Father’s Day! And just in case it’s your birthday too, happy birthday!
The Sudanese Revolution May Not Be Televised But It Will Be Documented & Shared On Social Media
Girl Boss has heard the call for action and stands in solidarity with the Sudanese people, in the transcendental spirit of Ubuntu; to take measures to not let their peaceful civilian led revolution be stolen by the countries military elite. This is our response to the call. #IAmTheSudanRevolution
This article is written and edited by Simi Gumede.
Disclaimer: The following article contains information that is upsetting.
What Exactly Is Going On In Sudan?
In December last year Sudanese People took to the streets to show their dissatisfaction with the Sudanese Government which was led by then despot Omar Al-Bashir. Al-Bashir seized control through a military coup d’état in 1989 and ruled brutally for 30 years until peaceful civilian protestors said no more as under his authoritarian rule Sudan suffered economic decline in which the cost of bread and fuel became unbearable.
Bashir is the leader of which the War in Dafur took place under. In which several hundreds of thousand people died, and eventually culminated in the succession of South Sudan, which is the worlds youngest country in 2011. He is wanted for war crimes, which are crimes against humanity.
The conflict in Dafur Sudan was sparked by allegations of Apartheid in which the muslim community oppressed and exploited the non-arab groups, therefore the marginalized took up arms against the government initiating a civil war. This led to the Arab government carrying out what is known as ‘ethnic cleansing’ to purge Sudan of non-muslims.
Although the country has now split, and north Sudan remains a muslim majority state, the people of north Sudan set aside their differences and banded together as one with the majority muslims and minority non-muslims to remove the Dictator and Genocidaire Omar Al-Bashir.
The Sudanese Uprising is being spearheaded by women and The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) which is made up of professionals like doctors, teachers, lawyers and students. The symbol of the Sudan Revolution is the peace gesture. It is a symbol of resistance against the oppressive Sudanese regime and representative of how the people are propelled by the values of peace, freedom and hope for a prosperous and harmonious Sudan.
The protestors through public demonstrations of unity managed to remove Omar Al-Bashir on the 11th of April 2019. How this was achieved is that the Sudanese military abandoned him and joined the civilian protestors calling for democratic rule. The military proceeded to release political detainees, political opposition leaders and lifted the curfew in Khartoum as a sign of good faith. The military formed the Transitional Military Council which through negotiations with The Sudanese Professionals Association and political opposition leaders, were to assume temporary control of the Government in order to facilitate democratic elections in 6 months time. When the negotiation talks were almost concluded, The Transitional Military Council extended their ‘temporary rule’. The people of Sudan who having almost attained their victory against an oppressive regime had their promised liberation snatched away from them by the legion of patriarchs that form the military elite.
This led to mass demonstrations across the country. In the capital city of Khartoum there was a two month long public sit in, in which the Rapid Support Forces Unit headed by General Mohamed Dagalo opened fire, on unarmed civilians on the 3rd of June 2019. Killing over 100 people. The numbers are estimated as the internet has been suspended by the Military Junta and journalists have had their offices raided and put under house arrest in efforts to stop communication and control the discourse; by hindering access to information. The aim of this senseless killing was to strike fear in the hearts of the people and to destabilize the civilian resistance by taking away their place of gathering. Currently, anyone who is seen using their phones by taking a picture or recording a video in public is shot by the Junta’s soldiers and agents.
“It is time for the people to stand strong and united in order to take their civil rights from the militants who want to hinder the rights of the people and the revolution that resulted in the death of many promising young people”
Sudanese Protestor in the video below
The Sudanese population is remarkably young with 2/3 (63%) Sudanese being under the age of 25 , and 43% of population is under the age of 15, according to the CIA (2018).
The ‘Transitional’ Military Council
The self-proclaimed president and head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) is Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Burhan, pictured above. He is seen as a figure head as he is not wanted for war crimes and is therefore a ‘softer face’ of the TMC. The real power in the military is his second in command, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo who is also known as Hemedti, it was his forces who massacred civilians on the 3rd of June in Khartoum. He is wicked and is the commander who carried out the genocide in Dafur, with his unit which was known as the Janjaweed, which translates to “The Devils on Horseback”. They use systematic raping, among other horrendous and illegal military tactics. They rape women, children and, men in front of their children according to a Sudanese doctor and member of the Sudanese Professionals Association in the video below.
Who’s Funding The Military Council?
They have access to the former government’s reserves however the TMC recently received $3 Billion Dollars in aid from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Hemedti has also met with the Crowned Princes of Saudi Arabia, The UAE and the Military Dictator and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who hijacked the people’s democratic moment in Egypt. This movement is known as the Arab Spring which was too propelled by social media activism. It is believed that the Sudanese Militia received this funding from Saudi Arabia and the Emirates due to Sudans geo-political significance of having control of a section of land that leads to the Red Sea which is an essential oil trade route. No, not the aromatherapy oils, Petroleum oil. #Jokes #WeWillNotBeDisheartened #LoveAndJoyReignSupreme #IAmTheSudanRevolution
Hemedti’s unit, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) control the borders of Sudan, and implement what is known as the ‘Khartoum Process’ which is funded by the European Union. Officially this funding is to ensure the safety of refugees in transit to Europe but in truth, the RSF find and deport migrants from Eritrea and Ethiopia back to the dire environments they are escaping from. This a violation of human rights and the RSF have been said to abuse refugees according to International Human Rights Groups.
The People Remain Steadfast
The Woman In White
The face of the Sudanese Uprising is 22 year old student activist Alaa Salah, she has been lovingly dubbed, “Kandaka” which means Nubian Queen, which is a reference to the powerful African Nubian Queens of old Sudan. She is also referred to as the “Woman in White” and “Lady Liberty”. After, images and videos of her sing traditional and protest songs on a white car at a peaceful public gathering went viral on social media. #TheFutureIsFemale #GirlsLead
The Protestors Demands
- Civilian Rule
- End The Militias
- Women’s Rights
Change Has Began
The world is changing for the better. The oppressive regimes of the past and their new masks are starting to crack. The toxic masculine leaders may have access to funds and guns, but the true revolution is an ideological one. People have begun thinking independently and progressively. The shutting down of the media and the internet in Sudan is not going stop the hope the people have in their hearts for a better future. These men think they can ‘Grab us by the pussy’ but the pussy claps backs with chants of freedom; in the name of human dignity. The feminine will continue to rise and lead us to a brighter future that is in coherence with love and therefore self-empowerment. We call on loving men to join us in creating this future, as together we are stronger.
A Healthy Dose Of Political Satire
From Quitting Her Job As A Radiographer To Going To The World Cup: Meet Banyana’s Kholosa Biyana
Written by Farai Diza
It takes a lot of guts to quit a well paying job. But when sporting talent is stuck on you like glue, an oasis of possibilities present themselves.
24 year old Kholosa Biyela is living proof of that. If you haven’t heard of her yet, then jot that name as you will be seeing more of her at the current Fifa Women’s World Cup.
So What’s Exciting About Her?
This football superstar quit her well paying and stable job to cast her nets on the soccer field. Bear in mind that the world’s most beautiful game isn’t as financially rewarding as the mens.
No that’s not absurd that’s passion and when you passionately do something, rewards follow you.
Today Biyana is in glamourous France with Banyana for their maiden World Cup, which kicked off on the 7th of June until July 7.
She is grateful of the opportunities that are unfurling in her career simply because she chose passion.
“In 2013 I obtained my radiography diploma from the Durban University of Technology (DUT). In the same year I got a job as a radiographist in my hometown [at Mjanyana hospital, Ngcobo, in the Eastern Cape]. But I only worked for three months.”
“I quit because I realised that the job would not allow me to fulfil my dream of playing for Banyana. I had done an in-service training, before getting a permanent contract. Three months was enough for me,” she narrated.
With 20 Banyana caps to her name, Biyana knows that she took a huge gamble that could have easily backfired.
“I am so happy to be at the World Cup… it’s the sweetest moment of my life after making a lot of sacrifices,’’ said the midfielder whose at the World Cup that eluded many big names such as Portia Modise.
The self-contained Biyana joined the UKZN team from her home club, Thunderbirds, nearly three years ago. She has enrolled for a sports science degree.
“I am doing my final year at UKZN. It’s easy [to juggle football and education] because I am playing for the university team. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone and my course is sports related. So I’m enjoying everything,” explained the Banyana workhorse.
She sees the World Cup as a perfect platform to impress overseas clubs in her quest to secure a lucrative contact abroad. The World Cup presents her with the perfect opportunity to showcase her talent and hopefully attract international clubs to sign her.
SA are in Group B alongside Germany, China and Spain.
We hope Biyela makes an impression and Banyana do us proud!
- Published in Pop Culture, Real Life Stories
How To Change Your Thoughts To Be Positive So They Serve You In Manifesting Your Best Life
Part 1
I am a cheer leader for team positivity. It’s all about the feel-good vibes. However, one must admit that often people throw around words like ‘change your mindset, change your life’ and we’re left not certain on what positive thinking really means in actual terms. Like learning anything training your mind to see the positive in any situation and in yourself takes some time and effort. So be patient with yourself, you’ll get there, sooner than you think.
Why change your thoughts?
One of the worst things can be when your thoughts turn on you and you take the opportunity you bring yourself down at every instance, this will surely lead to mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. It’s important to note that it’s not your thoughts that have turned on you, you have turned on yourself. You don’t believe in yourself and you doubt your capabilities. You negatively judge yourself and you are your own worst critic. You have chosen this mental position. Although there are societal pressures, and external factors like having an abusive or oppressive person in your life bring you down. You choose to believe them, just like how you can choose to focus your mental energy to learn how to believe in yourself.
Negative people actually ‘look for proof’ and focus their mental energy on their so called ‘incompetence’. They also compare themselves to others and judge themselves inadequate or a failure in relation to the perceived ‘success’ of others. This leads to painful insecurity, jealously and delusional thinking. This only serves to add to the suffering in our world, because hurt people, go on to hurt people. Negative thoughts are simply not the truth, they are disempowered beliefs in action.
What are thoughts?
“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”
Nicola Tesla
Everything is energy. Including thoughts, they are an emission. They are also what you consciously focus your attention on in that specific moment. We think what we think is the truth of that moment. We use our mentality to make sense of things, to find the truth of any situation. Truth be told, we are indeed truth seekers. We seek to understand what it is we are observing. When you have negative self-esteem for example, you are choosing to believe in a lie. You may not see it as that because you believe what you are thinking is the truth. But in truth, it is a lie because you are so epic I cannot even say how epic you really are. FACTS.
Emotions are the language of the soul. That negative emotional feedback of depression…etc is your soul telling you, you need to change something it is unhappy. Because as a truth seeker, you are believing and therefore living in mistruth. You have betrayed yourself, and you feel ‘off’. What about chronic depression? You can say but how is that fair, how can the universe curse me like this, I was born with this predisposition. Then it means your ancestral line were living in mistruth, and now its up to you to evolve past that, so you can clear it from your genetic blueprint. Maybe, you were born into that family as a blessing, to clear the future humans in lineage of that disposition. Maybe that was your souls intention upon manifesting into this realm. The universe is intentional, you are here for a reason. Therefore, let your ‘reason’ be your conscious decision.
Attracting Blessings
I believe in manifestation. That you consciously or unconsciously create your own reality. You may have heard players on team positive saying something like, first and foremost, ‘set the intention’. What do they mean when they say this?
How you begin to consciously manifest your reality is that you get clear on what your intentions are in life.
What is it that you want? You can do this on a surface level for example, ‘I want material success’. Which is great, I also aim to be financially abundant but what I mean is asking yourself why do you want material success? Get to the core of what is it that you truly want.
For example:
I want x luxury car. You can say I want x car because I want the ‘best’ for myself. That’s great then you know what you want. But most people want the luxury car so that when they drive around town, they want their fellow towns people to think that they are successful in life. That means what you really want is praise. But let’s get deeper. Why do you want acclaim? Because you seek validation from others. Why do you need others to validate your ‘success’? Why can’t you be a millionaire in a normal car for example? Then the deeper layer, is that you want social power. What’s the truth of seeking social influence? When you get to the core of it, the truth of your desire for a luxury car is that you want people to see that you are a force to be reckoned with. You want their recognition and acceptance. After you attain this then you can finally accept and approve of yourself. After you have purchased the car (most cars are not purchased, they are loaned) you can say to yourself, I am powerful. I am worthy. But the truth is you are more than worthy, you are priceless. Before you bought the car, you were more than enough.
Get Crystal Clear On What Your Intentions Are
Your desires can be interpreted by the lower ego mind as desires such as being seen as successful or cool by others but when you get to the core of it, the truth of your desire is that you want to be loved and accepted by people. You want to be loved, beloved.
Getting clear on what your intentions are is twofold. I think we can all agree that we want to live a life filled with happiness. Therefore, it means asking yourself two things.
1What does my happiest life look like? Be precise and use your imagination. Team positive players always say ‘visualize it and feel what it would feel like to have your desires come true’. However in my experience, you are going to be far happier than you can imagine, but imagine what your happiest life would look like nonetheless. Train your mind to get crystalline on what your best life looks like. Think of it as a form of prayer, but with inspiring mental images. You can also write down what your most joyful life looks like, describe it in detail.
“I really believe that if I want something, God has three answers. It’s either Yes; Yes, but not right now; or No, because I have something better in store for you”
Kerry Washington
2What are my highest intentions? Why are you doing this thing called life? Get intentional about your existence. What meaning are you going to attribute your existence to? What are you going to do with the consciousness you have been given? What are you going to do with your life? The choice is yours to make in each and every moment.
I suggest doing this process of sifting and discovering your core intentions with the written word. When you write you focus your mental energy on expressing the truth of what you are thinking. Also, you can refer back to them at a later stage, although you can change your intentions. You can also ponder it of course, do what suits you.
Once you sort through your intentions you will discover that your highest intentions are, becoming the greatest version of yourself. Yes, we are sophisticated beings but we are still evolving. We want to continually grow, adapt and master our lives. For me, mastering life means becoming a master practitioner of love.
When you have consciously chosen your personal intentions that creates a shift in the time space continuum. This changes your point of attraction which is your individual energetic field. Your thoughts pulsate into the unified energetic field of all that is. And this then changes the unified energy of your life to match your internal vibration. As the ancient hermetic principle goes, As within, So without. All is one, and so the universe collaborates with you to give you what you are focusing on. This is your creative power. The team motto of club manifestation is ‘energy flows where attention goes’
“Knowledge Isn’t Free, You Have To Pay Attention”-Bob Marley
Pay attention to what you are thinking, you need to ask yourself why do you think the way you do? And you need to be honest with yourself. Our thoughts are influenced by our beliefs which stem from our cultures, parents and communities; what we watch and pay attention to in the media. The people you surround yourself with also have an influence, as well as your upbringing and education.
Freedom means breaking free of this social conditioning, of habitual thought processes that may not be authentic to the truth of who you are. Who you really are. Your authentic soul truth, which is your power.
“All expression is art. We are expressions of source. And so, each and every one of us, is essentially a unique piece of God’s art”
Teal Scott
Now, what is the most powerful creative force in the multiverse? Love. How do you align your thoughts with Love?
The Missing Link: Belief Work
This is crucial information on manifesting your best life. Your thoughts are influenced by your beliefs. This is where team positivity sometimes misses the ball. They don’t articulate that you need to align your beliefs with love. You need let go of disempowered beliefs and replace them with loving, empowered beliefs. Once you do this, manifestation will become effortless. With love at the core of your beliefs, your best life will be the new sports field you are playing the game of life on.
Here’s the hard truth although human beings are at their core loving, human society isn’t. Therefore, I encourage you to think for yourself.
You choose what you believe in and what ideologies you subscribe to. Therefore, subscribe to team Love, Joy, Peace, Harmony and Truth. If your beliefs are not in alignment with these divine attributes then release the beliefs with your conscious intention, literally will them out of our consciousness. Let love for self, others and the planet be the basis of all your beliefs. This is what it truly means to believe in God. As God is Infinite Love, the Captain, Coach and Founder of Team Positivity.
If you’re having trouble releasing stubborn negative beliefs like ‘I think I am fat and therefore ugly’ for example, guess who you can ask for guidance? The Divine or Jesus Christ, the angels, your guardian angel, or your authentic soul truth. Beings of light, and Infinite Light respect your sovereignty and right to self-determination. All is connected but you are also an independent being of consciousness, you have the ability to make your own decisions. So, they don’t intervene in your thought processes when decision making. They honor your power of choice, your free-will. In other words, they let you do you boo. Therefore, if you need assistance in spirit, you have to simply ask for it and they would love to help you. Humbly, will them into helping you enhance your will power, and they will provide divine assistance.
I believe we are all a piece of the infinite. You are a being of love, intellect and freedom, and you express that in your own unique way that resonates with your heart. Therefore, replace old, habitual, societal beliefs with love-based ones. Actually, write down, all that you believe to be true about the world. Be honest with yourself, there will be prejudices. There will be self-depreciating beliefs. You are the gate keeper of your own thoughts, therefore catch yourself in the present moment, and say, YOU SHALL NOT PASS to thoughts that are not in alignment with love which is your authentic truth.
In the table below I provide an example, of negative beliefs and their positive replacement
| Old Disempowered Beliefs | Their Positive Replacement |
| I am poor because I don’t have money | I have potential and the blessings are on their way |
| People are corrupt | Everyone makes mistakes. People sometimes make decisions which are not in alignment with the truth of who they are and that leads to misled actions. |
| Life is a hustle | Life is beautiful |
| My people and I are the victims of historical injustice | I am empowered |
“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings”
Elizabeth Gilbert
Gratitude
Choosing to be grateful is one of the most powerful manifestation techniques you can do because you are positively focused on what you already have. Besides making you happy which is a goal attained within itself, but once you begin to do this the universe gives you more blessings to be grateful more. Why does God do this? Because Infinite Consciousness loves itself and remember you are an evolving specimen of consciousness, therefore you can choose to evolve your consciousness by elevating the level of gratitude you can feel in your heart and comprehend with your mind. You can set the intention to progressively raise the level of gratitude you can hold in your consciousness. And God goes, oh this one has chosen to be the most grateful she can be, let me help her evolve her consciousness to emit more gratitude by giving her more blessings to be grateful for, let me help her attain her goal of elevating her gratefulness.
The truth is, life quite simply is, a thought experiment. So let’s experiment, how much can a Girl Boss flourish?
- Published in Bossing Up, Spirituality
Why I Cry When Watching The Comrades Marathon
I will be one of the millions of people around the world who will be up early watching the Comrades 2019 on Sunday 9th June. My TV will be on SABC 2 all day until the gun sounds off the close of the race. The Comrades Marathon will also covered by SuperSport.
I often cry a few times during the race, a few like at least 10 times. I cry as I watch the runners struggle, overcome their pain and push on. I especially love the parts where other runners help a struggling marathoner. So many times, I have seen a runner ready to give up and some Good Samaritan comes along and eggs them on and they recover and keep going. It clearly is a mental and a heart sport.
If I were to ever run the Comrades, I would want to run in one of those caravans where there is a pacesetter running at an easy pace that ensures everyone in the caravan completes the race before it cuts off. There is something about a group of people running together that makes it seem doable as together we are stronger.
Currently I have no intention of ever running the Comrades Marathon, I can’t imagine anything moving me to the point of wanting to put myself through such torture, cause the Comrades does look like pure torture; which is why I am blown away by Sabie Mashigo!
With all the rape, murder and human trafficking that has been taking place in our beautiful country, Sabie Mashigo, 40 has been affected by this with her two little cousins being raped and knifed to death. She has decided to raise awareness by running barefoot at this year’s Comrade’s Marathon. She hopes to raise funds for a rape survivor centre in Kimberly. The campaign is called #Run4her and is an initiative about raising awareness of the disgrace of sexual violence in South Africa. The violence against females really needs vigorous attention and it needs to end. This is really a great initiative, Sabie Mashigo deserves our wholehearted support. Let’s support this amazing cause.
Watching the cut off is so stressful for me, it literally breaks my heart watching those runners who are seconds away from the finish line when the cut off gun goes, and just like that, they are recorded as though they have not completed the race.
I will definitely be rooting for Sabie Mashigo tomorrow. I am already imagining quite a few runners coming to her aid and egging her on when the race gets tough, I know this will make me cry.
The first ever Comrades Marathon was run on Empire Day, 24 May 1921, a total of 34 runners lined at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall to commence a race to Durban to commemorate the spirit and camaraderie of the soldiers who fought in the Great War (WWI). The Comrades Marathon was founded by Vic Clapham (a war veteran & SA Railways engine driver) whose vision was to create a living memorial to the spirit of those comrades who suffered so greatly in the war. The first race was run on old dust roads, with the runners having to pass through several gates and at least one stream.
Photo from Brand South Africa.
In 2018 a total of 16 446 South African men entered while 4 779 South African women entered. As the 2019 comrade’s approaches, recent reports have announced that 17 000 South African men have entered while only 4 000 South African women have entered. While the comrades are an international affair, I think it is important to focus on the South African numbers.
Some of the top female athletes in our country have been known to partake in comrades. Prominent names such as Fikile Mbuthuma, who finished in the top-10 of the Comrades and was South Africa’s second-best female in last year’s World 100km Championship , this is a spectacular achievement for all females and even for me who isn’t even that much of a fitness bunny has to say this really does put women empowerment on top.
Although we need to up our black female numbers, we have also had females such as Blanche Moila who held national titles for 10km, 16km and 21km during the 1980s, represented South Africa at the World Marathon Championships in 1993. She has also made history in 1984 when she became the first female black athlete to be awarded Springbok colours in Apartheid South Africa. At the age of 60 now, she is still a top performer and remains an inspiration to black women athletes.
We also must mention Nokuthula Dubazane, an environmentalist who has a strong passion for long-distance running. She may not be an athlete, but she has taken part in the comrade’s marathon and has a huge passion for running.
For me it has never really been a goal to partake in the comrades marathon just the thought makes my muscles weak, its only because I am not much of a fitness bunny (a topic for another day). However, I have seen a lot of really determined people around me who want to partake in the comrades marathon at least in some point of their lives, this being the females around me. I think it must be a female achievement to complete the comrade’s marathon knowing people like Fikile Mbuthuma, have completed it and I think as a female that is motivation enough to want to at least try.
With all the unfair drama and attention that Caster Semenya has been getting these past few months, I will be rooting for all the women running tomorrow. Females are really progressing in the sports field especially in things such as The Comrades Marathon I mean for the longest time men were seen to be more physically able to take on the Comrades simply because they were well men…
Women ran in the Comrades unofficially since 1923, a woman by the name Frances Hayward, was the first woman to complete the race in 11hrs 35mins and was not awarded a Comrades Marathon Medal, so her fellow runners and spectators awarded her with a silver teapot *tears*
Women and black athletes were only officially allowed to participate in the Comrades Marathon in 1975.
But with the participation of female’s like Fikile Mbuthuma, well we can safely say things have taken a turn and really women are making their space known in this male led environment. I can’t wait for the day when an equal number women to men participate in marathons and ultramarathons alike, and all sports in general. Sports are a great way to leverage natural talent as a career with financial reward. In South Africa and Africa in general we are yet to unlock the economic potential of sports. Often times there is the gender pay gap inequality, and this is also applies in sporting competitions. Girl Boss commends the Comrades Marathon Association for making the prize money equal for both genders, this is progress.
Comrades Marathon Prize Money
| Position | Men & Women |
| 1st | R500 000 |
| 2nd | R250 000 |
| 3rd | R180 000 |
| 4th | R90 000 |
| 5th | R70 000 |
| 6th | R40 000 |
| 7th | R35 000 |
| 8th | R30 000 |
| 9th | R25 000 |
| 10th | R20 000 |
I feel something such as The Comrades Marathon must be a passion and goal you have for yourself in life and that’s the only way you would want to partake in it, prepare for it and complete it. We really need to bring up these female participation numbers from 4000, we should at least be at 10 000 in the next three years in my opinion. I hope everyone tunes in to watch and witness another female win The Comrades Marathon, it really is a victory for all women and helps change how men and women see the capabilities of women.
- Published in Bossing Up, Fitness
