Rampant abuse of women and the elderly, teen pregnancies and drug abuse are grave concerns for veteran community activists Beaty Roberts, 78, and Vera Sharneck, 84.
“I feel really sad when I look at what is happening to our young girls today because in our time it wasn’t like this,” says Ms Roberts.
“Schoolgirls are getting pregnant, and many of their boyfriends hit and only use them. Many of their boyfriends don’t work and will go as far as collecting the child support grant with them, only to spend the money on drugs while the child gets a mere party pack.”
Ms Roberts and Ms Sharneck served together in the Eastridge and Beacon Valley civic associations during the 80s and 90s. They met each other in the 80s through their children who were involved in the student uprisings at Spine Road High and Aloe High.
Both recall the countless times they defied the Apartheid government by helping families move back into their Eastridge and Beacon Valley homes after they were evicted because they had fallen on hard times and couldn’t pay their municipal accounts.
“All the moms exchanged numbers and whenever something happened, we would call each other. We reconnected the water and electricity of people whose homes were disconnected by council and put people back in their homes when they were evicted. We would go around borrowing keys from neighbours because in those years, the keys all fitted at the various homes,” says Ms Sharneck.
Ms Roberts says she has no regrets about that period of her life. “I never regretted my decision because the association did many things to help people who were evicted from their homes. Sometimes we would put them back into their homes in the middle of the night.
“To us, it wasn’t right that the council evicted people. They had nowhere to go with their children. Times were tough back then, and it was difficult to get another place. We did it so that people could have a place to sleep with their children.”
Ms Roberts, who worked at the Eastridge Educare for 42 years, is also chairperson of the Leadwood Seniors Club in Eastridge, which she founded 24 years ago. The club meets at the Town Centre Library on Mondays.
“I am still working with the seniors. I often take them to Home Affairs when they don’t have identity documents and help them too when they have problems with their pension grants.
“This is my passion and gift that God gave me. I will continue doing it for as long as I can.”
Ms Roberts, who often talks to seniors about prioritising their well-being, says there are now more services available to women and seniors who face abuse than there were in the past.
“We need to make time for ourselves. We already raised our children and shouldn’t be expected to raise our grandchildren as well,” she says.
Ms Sharneck adds that a sense of fear has settled in among communities.
“I am not sure if today’s women will do what we did back then. They are too scared to get involved. Back then, we didn’t think twice to fight for the rights of families or to hide the kids who were running away from the Apartheid police.”
Ms Roberts says women should continue to push through and use their voices to bring change in their communities.
“Women can make a difference.”
