South Africa – The Mmagauta Molefe Legacy Foundation, in collaboration with Wits University’s History Department, has initiated a project dedicated to commemorating the narratives and enduring influences of South African women who resisted the Apartheid regime.
Mmagauta Molefe, the foundation’s namesake, exemplifies one of these remarkable women. She is renowned for her roles as an activist, philanthropist, and community leader.
Through the foundation, Molefe seeks to impart knowledge, expertise, and life experiences to the younger generation, to sustain and empower them to carry forward a legacy rooted in love and empathy for their fellow people.
In an interview with Salaamedia, Tokiso Mbatha, Molefe’s daughter, emphasised that the foundation, along with its initiatives and projects, is a natural extension of her mother’s benevolence and aspirations. Its mission is to educate, enlighten, and bequeath a legacy of activism and empowerment to all South Africans and their communities.
“The Foundation basically represents what UMama stands for. She’s very big on leaving a legacy beyond people remembering what she’s done for the country and seeing what we can continue to do. In teaching us to continue the work that her generation has done in our way because struggles change and flow with time.”
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The Unsung Heroines Project
Through the Unsung Heroines Project, envisioned as a series of narratives and documentaries, the Mmagauta Molefe Foundation is dedicated to capturing the life experiences, challenges, and circumstances faced by women during the struggle for freedom and democracy in South Africa.
This project aims to illuminate the accomplishments and actions of the women who actively participated in the movement and those who were detained and imprisoned. Mbatha emphasised in the annals of South African history, we frequently hear about the sacrifices made by our nation’s grandfathers, fathers, and brothers.
However, the sacrifices and contributions of our nation’s grandmothers, mothers, and sisters are seldom acknowledged. Therefore, through this project, the foundation strives to provide an authentic account of the heroism displayed by the women of our nation.
“It’s telling the stories of our mothers who would hide the people fighting the struggle, who would cook for them and who’d send them warnings when they were being hunted down by the cops. It tells the stories of women who were on the ground, like Mmagauta Molefe. [Women who were on John Voster] Square where they were tortured … We have a lot of women that were tortured there. We don’t tell those stories enough. We don’t tell the stories of the things that women did [for us].”
Mbatha underscores the significance of recounting the narratives of these remarkable women, recognising the potential positive impact it could exert on both the present generation and the women of tomorrow. By sharing these stories, South African women can draw inspiration from the legacies of their forebears, fostering empowerment and a profound awareness that the same indomitable spirit flows through their veins.
