Tafelsig ward councillor Norman Adonis honoured about 100 elderly women from the community at an appreciation luncheon held at the Tafelsig community centre.
“We want to let them know that we appreciate and love them and look out for them. If it was not for our mothers, then the community would have gone lost and astray,” he said.
Mr Adonis said elderly women were pillars in the community who often took care of their grandchildren and the neighbourhood.
“When some people could not take care of their kids, their mothers stood the test of time and served well. They had no money, but they made sure there was food on the table. Even if they were abused by their kids, they made sure there was still food, love, and care,” he said.
Mr Adonis said women like 82-year-old Elizabeth “Lizzy” Leo had helped to shape and develop him as a leader in the community.
“Women like Auntie Lizzy, who worked on the Tafelsig Health Committee, reared me in community work and made me the leader I am today. I was only 16 when I joined the community structures. They took me under their wings because they could see I had potential for growth and development. They took me from the clinic to the district health structures. I am where I am today because of the senior ladies like Auntie Lizzie and the late Maria Appies and the late Margaret ‘Makkie’ Kolbe.”
Mr Adonis said honouring the seniors in this way was especially meaningful for him as his mother had died in July.
He urged children and grandchildren to appreciate and honour their mothers and grandmothers.
