Celebrated annually, August 9 marked Women’s Day in the southern region of the continent, to draw attention to issues affecting African women.
Significant issues include parenting, domestic violence, sexual harassment in the workplace, unequal pay, and schooling for all girls. In commemorating the day on Friday, Avani Resort invited two women who defied the odds when they walked out of their painful situations stronger, to share their stories and motivate womenfolk in Gaborone. The duo’s stories attested to the strength women possess. Malebogo Busang, 50, said in 2010 she decided to visit a private hospital for a random check-up, to see if she was okay healthwise, and run a few health tests only to get devastating news.
She was told she had cancer. Busang said she panicked and thought she would die. “At the time, I had an amazing career and bosses. My life was perfect. When I was told I had cancer I remembered I come from a prayerful family and started being prayerful. I read a lot about cancer. “I became more scared as I read only negative things written about it. However, along my journey with cancer I began regaining myself even though it wasn't easy at first,” she said proudly. She added that surrounding herself with loving people, having a clean mentality, doing away with toxicity, and having positive energy helped. Busang said chemotherapy was the most painful thing she had ever gone through in her life.
She explained that she saw her body fading away. She added that she did 32 sessions of chemo where she lost her hair and herself but her then-husband, siblings, and friends gave her support. “When I came out of chemo it was like a re-birth. I came out a better person. Sickness makes you ask yourself a lot of questions about the kind of person you are. It's important to live now. Now is what you got. Don't put yourself under pressure. Colour your world, my sisters and mothers. Recognise that you are toxic, stop it, and live healthy,” she ended. For her part, 44-year-old Malebogo Molefe, a gender-based violence (GBV) survivor, activist, and advocate for people living with disabilities, said she was in an abusive relationship where she nearly lost her life. The former basketball player said she dated her deceased ex-boyfriend when she was young and vibrant. At the time, she was working while he was studying at the University of Botswana.
At first, things were going well and they were deeply in love only for him to change after getting a job outside Gaborone. “He started showing a strange character where we would get into arguments and he would slap me. I didn't understand I was abused. He would then ask for forgiveness and pamper me with gifts, and I would forgive him. It became worse,” she said. “One day he kicked me until I nearly passed out. I didn't tell anyone even my mother who I am close to. Things got bad and we broke up. After five months he started calling asking that we meet and talk. He would abuse me verbally and I ignored him.” However, Molefe said one fateful day he went to harass her, broke the window, and demanded that she open the door for him to enter.
At the time, he had a gun and when she called his brother because she was scared for her life, he broke the door with a gun, demanded she get dressed, and dragged her outside. She said the police and soldiers were outside, so he dragged her back inside with a gun on her head. She said when she tried to flee from him, she heard the gun going off and warm blood flowing on her back before falling and he continued shooting at her. She said he shot her eight times before he committed suicide. Molefe further explained that her healing journey was not easy as she went through both physical and emotional trauma. As a woman, she said she challenged herself despite the pains she went through to live.
She added that she decided to share her story so that other young women out there don't go through what she went through.