In the true spirit of Women’s Month, the Health and Wellness team hosted a breakfast where the women staff at the university were celebrated. Women attended in numbers, and enjoyed entertainment from their own songbird colleague, Lucy Sehloho, as well as local singing artist, Ann Mahlohla. The guest speakers, Annette Kasselman, a former Miss International title holder, and Zane Meas, 7de Laan actor, had words of inspiration for the women.

In her speech, Kasselman emphasised women’s tendency to seek out perfection, and encouraged them to not pursue it, but to rather be content with themselves and their realities. These are life lessons she learnt throughout her modelling and pageant career. She truthfully expressed: “I’m not perfect, but I’m perfectly real.” She likened the development of humans to the process of refining gold. She encouraged the audience to learn to love their circumstances.

Meas, being the only man to address the women that filled the Callie Human Centre, talked about the role women play in society. As a man who primarily speaks to men nationwide about the role of fatherhood, he reminded women of their innate uniqueness, namely their resilience and inner strength. Coming from a background where he was surrounded by women at the head of single-parent households, he explained the burden of the reversed gender roles that men and women have to endure. While men sometimes resist showing weakness to their children, he exclaimed: “If you show a bit of weakness, you strengthen your child.” This commented on the nurturing character of a woman.

Kasselman and Meas truly left UFS staff feeling empowered and worthy, something our women need to be reminded of.
- Hatsu Mphatsoe