By Siyakholwa Vuso.
USixolisiwe Maselana, iLungu leKomiti kaSodolophu yoPhuhliso lwezoQoqosho kunye nee-Arhente kuMasipala oMbhaxa i-Buffalo City, usungule i-Mashweme Foundation, ethiywe ngembeko kuninakhulu wakhe ongasekhoyo, ukuphakamisa amantombazana aselula eMpuma Kapa iphela.
UMaselana, owazalelwa waze wakhulela kumbindi wephondo leMpuma Kapa, uza nokuphumelela kweMfundo—ebambe “i-Honours ne-Master’s Degree in Political Science” kwiDyunivesithi yaseFort Hare—kunye namava angaphaya kweshumi leminyaka kwimibutho yoomasipala be-ANC. Usebenze njengoCeba weWadi, uMbhexeshi oyiNtloko weBhunga, kwaye ngoku uliLungu leKomiti kaSodolophu yoPhuhliso loQoqosho nee-Arhente.
Oyena ndoqo womsebenzi wakhe kukuzibophelela “ekuxhobiseni amabhinqa nomntwana oyintombazana.” NjengoMama kubantwana abathathu abahle—amakhwenkwe amabini nentombazana enye,uMaselana uziqonda ngokwakhe iimfuno, ulonwabo, nemingeni yokukhulisa isizukulwana esilandelayo, nto leyo eyamkhuthaza ukuba aseke iMashweme Foundation ngo-2024.
Ukusukela oko yasekwayo, esi Siseko “samkela izikolo eziphakamileyo ezininzi ngaphakathi kwi-BCMM, sagxile ekuqeqesheni nasekuqeqesheni amantombazana aselula ukuba abe ziinkokeli zexesha elizayo.”
Iintsika zalo ezine— “uNdwendwelo lweSikolo kunye noQeqesho lwaBantwana abangamantombazana,” “iiNkqubo zoBundlobongela obuSekwe ngokweSini (GBV),” “Career Shadowing,” kunye ne-“Ngxoxo yabaseTyhini.”
Kwezi veki zidlulileyo, uMaselana “ubambe iNgxoxo yabaseTyhini ebalaseleyo kuloMasipala kuxoxwa ngokubaluleka kokubandakanywa, ukulingana ngokwesini, kunye nophuhliso oluqhutywa luluntu.” Lo msitho “udibanise amakhosikazi asuka kumanqanaba ngamanqanaba obomi, ukhuthaza iingxoxo malunga nokuba angayilwa njani na amathuba ingakumbi kubasetyhini namantombazana kumasipala nangaphaya.”
Echaza ngobuNkokeli bakhe, uMaselana uthi “umele uhlobo lobunkokeli olungangxoliyo, kodwa oluguquguqukayo. Uhlobo olungafuni ziqu, kodwa iziphumo. Nokuba kuhlala eqongeni, utyelela isikolo, okanye uthuthuzela ibhinqa eliselula elisinde ekuxhatshazweni, ndizisa ubuntu bam ngokupheleleyo.”
Ephinda amazwi ka-Charlotte Maxeke — “We are going to be able to do great things for ourselves and our children. We are going to have our own schools, our own houses, and our own businesses” —uSixolisiwe Maselana kunye neMashweme Foundation bazabalazela “ukukhuthaza izithuba zabasetyhini namantombazana ukuze baqonde ubukhulu babo kwaye baqinisekise ukuba ilifa labo lakhelwe phezu koxhotyiso, ukomelela, kunye nenjongo.”