We’ll take umphakatsi to task - Umhluma Foundation

MBABANE - Lungelo Zulu has vowed that they will not rest until the land is returned to its rightful owner, Gogo Mavimbela.

Umhluma Women and Youth Foundation were founded to protect the rights of widows from being infringed upon in society.

“We will take this matter up and report it to the Swazi National Court (SNC) because widows assume all rights to the properties that belong to their late husbands. In this particular matter, the brother-in-law has no authority at all over his brother’s properties. We will not rest until justice is served for Gogo Ntombi Mavimbela,” said Zulu.

Zulu occupies the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the foundation, which already has a massive following.

Zulu encouraged every widow to report any injustice that they are subjected to so that they can be assisted.

Umhluma Women and Youth Foundation was founded in January 2016 and was officially registered under the Swaziland Company Registration Act No. 8 of 2009 in October 2016.

The Foundation is governed by the Board Members and Management, respectively.

Most recently, the Foundation had an International Widows’ Day, which was an opportunity for them to raise awareness on the hardships that widows face when their husbands die. It seeks to highlight the problems of widows and encourage people.

The organisation helps widows who may be struggling with the challenges of life and this year’s theme was ‘Invisible Women, Invisible Problems’.

Support

The day was to raise awareness on the challenges faced by widows and to mobilise support to address them.

“Widows were allowed to share their stories of the various challenges they faced, including food security, violation of rights, loss of property and abuse by inlaws,” said Zulu.

During a recent event, it was noted that the devastating impacts of COVID-19 had seen a significant increase in the number of widows and widowers and exacerbated their vulnerabilities.

“It is now clearer to all that policymakers need to take specific measures to address issues that affect widows, including health access, pension access, food insecurity, sustainability or grants, land issues and so on to ensure that widows do not fall prey to poverty, hunger and health issues,” she said.

She added that women who had become widows as a result of COVID-19 should be identified. “The significance of International Widows Day and the awareness that it brings will increase in the post-COVID-19 era as there are many issues facing widows,” she stated.

“Working widows, for example, either do not earn much or have been rendered jobless by the pandemic.

“They bear the bulk of the problems previously shared with their deceased husbands, as they become the main breadwinner, are fully responsible for their children’s upbringing, and are confronted with legal/administrative/ and at times community issues, that were exclusively handled by their departed husbands.”

It was stated that widows were deprived of their rights and privileges.

“In Eswatini, I am advised, widows are sometimes bound to observe mourning rituals, which compel them to remain in seclusion for a long period, avoiding social gatherings including workplaces,” she stated.

“Some widows are forced to re-marry to a brother-in-law and are discouraged or even banned from re-marrying outside the husband’s family.”

According to the World Economic Forum, there are an estimated 258 481 056 widows globally with 584 574 358 children.