UNFAIR BALANCING ACT

The life and times of women and mothers of the country.

Ordinarily this should be a great period, marking the start of something
new. Recently municipalities marked the beginning of a new term on July
1, and within days it will be Spring time, bringing with it the prospect
of something new. But for many women there is a sense of regularity with
the way things are going. Maybe because nothing has changed for many of
them when it comes to the difficulty they face in getting their families
fed. They have been, and continue to be forced to make do with little in
their pocket in order to ensure that their families are fed. It is from
the money they earn as domestic workers, working in factories or getting
part time employment through the Expanded Public Works Programme, or a
state grant.
For these women pushing a trolley in a shop is an agonising experience
which they endure every month. It is because each trip serves as a
reminder that there is not enough money to ensure that for each of their
family members there is a plate full of proteins, vitamins and
carbohydrates. They are forced to choose between providing a balanced
plate of food for only a quarter of the month and then have no food at
all for the rest of the month. This is not a choice, it is an unfair
balance act they are forced to make. And they do so each month, putting
on a brave face as they make careful selection of food items, looking at
saving a rand here so that it can be used there, thus ensuring that at
the least their families are fed for the rest of the month. These women
listen to the news about food inflation going down and shake their heads
in disbelief.

This is a difficult time for many women who head households, with
municipalities starting the new financial year and with that an
introduction of higher electricity prices which are simply not
affordable. They know that it forces them to use the refrigerator
sparingly in order to save on the electricity bill, and this often means
that their food items stored in the refrigerator will rot. But is it
fair? Not really, not for single mothers, widows or grandmothers. It
simply is an unfair balancing act which, they believe, calls for
courageous leadership that will ensure that families are properly looked
after.

It starts with making sure that employers follow the provisions of a
minimum wage and pay their workers what is due to them. They want the
state to punish those who break the law, regardless of their political
or social links. The women believe that a courageous state should
intervene and see to it that essential foods are exempt from tax so
that more struggling families can have access to nutritious foods. The
women and mothers of South Africa know that such is possible, if only
there is sufficient courage from the state.