11 May 2016

Women from all walks of life over the weekend celebrated Mother’s Day in style at Masa Gardens in Rasesa at an event dubbed Mmamotse High Tea.

Dressed in stylish and colorful hats, the women came together to empower and educate each other on issues ranging from health to financial literacy and business.

When officially opening the event, financial advisor Ms Malebo Seoke-Hall urged women to have a purpose of what they wanted to do with their money.

She said as women they should equip themselves about financial literacy, so as to empower other women about managing their finances and to be debt free.

She explained that it was important that mothers should be financial literate and know how to spend, how to save their money, so as to avoid challenges that they sometimes find themselves in.

She said mothers or women were faced with many challenges which included HIV and AIDS, drugs and alcohol abuse, technology, relationship matters and misconduct or ill behavior of children.

She said mothers were the pillars of families and the nation, adding that they were leaders in their own right, irrespective of their levels of the financial status and they need to always be on top of their commitments.

Ms Seoke-Hall said as women they need to have financial goals and make a plan of how they could overcome their challenges, learn to separate needs from wants, creating monthly spending plan, save, use credit and bank wisely.

She noted that if they could build this habit they would reduce some of the situations they often find themselves in like unnecessary debts, wrong relationships, making wrong decisions and stress.

She said financial independence could be created, by mothers and women if they craft their spending plans and sticking to them, saving, shopping wisely by comparison shopping, buying items on sale, avoiding expensive brands, joining metshelo, and doing small business which they could empower themselves.

Ms Seoke-Hall also advised women to always seek help with financial advisors when they find themselves in debt and not being able to pay their loans and bills, noting that financial advisors could help them work out a plan to gain their financial independence.

For her part, one of the event organisers, Ms Daphney Phama said the objective of the event was to provide fun interactive educational and inspirational environment for women of all ages and to showcase and support local women owned businesses.

Ms Phama said Mmamotse high tea which is derived from the Setswana saying ‘Mmamotse o bonelwa mantlwaneng’ will be an annual event celebrated on Mother’s Day and this year’s theme was ‘unite-learn-share-experience’.

She said also the event was to celebrate and make it memorable to all women and mothers, to have their ‘Me time’, and to get away from their daily challenges and hectic schedules discussing issues that affect them and network.

Women at the event also got inspirational words from presenter of Property For You Masi Sithole who advised women about the essence of a woman and the kind of friendship that they should keep in order to make it life. 

Scandal and Saints and sinners Ms Kgomotso Ratsie took the ladies through her journey as an actor and the challenges that women overcome in the industry and how she got determined from a young age to follow her passion from primary school until she landed in South Africa where she is doing theater, soapies, screenwriting and short stories.

Ms Ratsie encouraged mothers not to choose career paths for their children and let them follow their own dreams and do what they love. ENDS