Sowetan

Sekgopo busts stereotype

In celebratio­n of Women’s Month, we are profiling females who pursue careers in male-dominated fields. This feature runs every Wednesday for the month of August. Stories by Peter Ramothwala and Mothusi Masemola She’s keeping the village together since her

- By Peter Ramothwala ■ ramothwala­p@sowetan.co.za

In 1990 Mokgadi Sekgopo confounded tradition when she ascended the GaSekgopo throne to succeed her husband who died that year.

This led to marked divisions in the community in Modjadjisk­loof area, Limpopo, as the people had never been led by a woman before. At the time Mokgadi was just 29 when she broke an old stereotype about women being unsuitable to lead or speak before a royal council.

“My community was divided after my husband passed away. My son Koma, now 31, was supposed to inherit the chieftainc­y but was only five at the time.

“I sought wisdom from my late husband and prayed to God to guide me in uniting the community,” she said.

Sekgopo, 56, who still does house chores, has establishe­d a programme called “young pioneers” aimed at raising awareness against teenage pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse and crime.

“We started the programme this year. We visit schools on Fridays to educate and guide young people about life.

“If we don’t talk to them about these issues, there will be no one to lead,” Sekgopo, who leads 14 000 households, said. She said observing and learning how her late husband led the community helped her to unite her people.

“He taught me to listen to everyone, including those who disagree with me in order to become a good leader.”

The mother of five has been acting for the past 27 years while raising her son to take over. She said Koma could not take over pending resolution of a dispute among members of the family.

“I hardly have time for myself because my people come to consult at any time without [making an] appointmen­t. Poverty and unemployme­nt are the village’s greatest challenges,” she said.

“Young people remain jobless and government’s expanded public works programme is not enough.

“I’ve engaged with the local and district municipali­ties and other stakeholde­rs to create sustainabl­e jobs,” she said.

“Our roads remain in a poor state. We have appealed to the authoritie­s to tar the gravel road to the cemetery as families have to walk through the mud to bury their loved ones.”

Sekgopo is proud that she is steadily bringing developmen­t to her village.

 ??  ?? Chief Mokgadi Sekgopo bucked tradition to lead her village.
Chief Mokgadi Sekgopo bucked tradition to lead her village.

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