Sebata-Kgomo Basadi! Emerging indigenised women leadership patterns: Selected narratives from local rural women’s stokvels in Ga-Sekororo, South Africa

Abstract

abstractGender inequality intersects with economic deprivation to produce more intensified forms of poverty for women than men in rural communities. Feminist theory has highlighted the undervaluing of the household and community leadership roles that women perform. This article focusses on the largely unrecognised roles many rural women perform in formal and informal leadership roles in their respective families and communities and their participation in various activities to sustain their families and to build community resilience among them to address the problems that they confront. The women of the Ga-Sekororo community in Maruleng District, Limpopo province have organised themselves into different social groups that participate in self-help activities such as Sebata-Kgomo (a Sepedi expression meaning ‘to call out for help’) and stokvels, for saving money, buying groceries, supporting members during bereavement and meeting other needs such as paying for school fees and health needs. This article seeks to reflect on poor rural women’s informal organisation which draws on understanding of communal or shared power and the idea of mutual aid. Six focus group discussions from three social groups were used in this qualitative research study, consisting of 10-15 members each. The research focused on how these women assume their positions as leaders and the multiplicity of roles they play in their respective families and community. The research draws on African feminism and Asset Based Community Development perspectives to interpret how these social groups and clubs play a role in developing meaningful opportunities for women’s leadership and participation to be mobilised.