By Hannah Theron
The month of August is annually celebrated as Women’s Month in South Africa. As such, Die Matie spoke to students on campus regarding women who inspire them.
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Rue Jansen, second-year BA (Language and Culture)
“I think Winnie Mandela inspires me because . . . her strength empowers me, her courage empowers me . . . her not caring what other people think about her — I think that inspires me.”
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Jessica Botha, first-year LLB
“Probably my gran . . . . [S]he was in an abusive marriage and throughout the whole thing she always remained so positive, . . . and she’s such a strong woman today.”
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Tyler West, first-year BCom (Management Sciences)
“My mom [inspires me] because after her divorce, she completely focused on me and supporting me and getting me to where I am today.”
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Stefani Terblanche, third-year BA (International Studies)
“Greta Thunberg, who is a young climate change activist who just shows how much the youth can really do, [inspires me].”
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Leonay Botha, second-year LLB
“Nina Simone [inspires me] because she’s a music legend. . . . She [didn’t] really fit in the then bracket of femininity . . . so she didn’t really subscribe to . . . women norms, and I just really like that she was just herself.”
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Chleo Pheiffer, third-year BSC (Biodiversity and Ecology)
“I would choose FKA Twigs . . . [because] she’s a really creative person. . . . As a creative person myself, I find her very inspirational because she finds a good way of channeling her trauma and her life in general into her music and her dancing.”