Friday, December 6

On Her Last Day by Nothukela Mahambehlala

They witnessed her pain
They witnessed the day he threw her out naked in the rain
They witnessed her shattered pride,
The trauma in her children's eyes.
But the day investigators came knocking on thier doors,
There were no witnesses
They flocked like scavenger birds to witness the day
She was carried away by paramedics in a body bag.
But the day investigators came knocking on their doors,
There were no witnesses.

It was their ignorance that forced her
To live a life of stress and strife.
It was their blind, uncaring eyes that led to her demise.
It was their words, their silence that condoned his behavior.
It was them that killed her.

And they came in their hundreds,
Dressed in black with mournful faces,
Their shameful eyes cast down
As her casket went six-feet underground.
They came to pay their first respects on her last day.
By then, it was way too late.

As with Caroline’s poem, Nothukhela had to edit her poem down to fit a 1 minute TV insert to be aired as part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign. Other noted dates within this period include:

25 November: International Day of No Violence Against Women
1 December: World AIDS Day
3 December: International Day for the Disabled
10 December: Human Rights Day 

The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign is coming to a close on Monday. It goes without saying that the issues highlighted over this period should be observed daily and be part of how one conducts oneself in relation to others…

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