Rising from rural QwaQwa: The journey of Thembekile

By Emily Setona

QWAQWA – Celebrating International Rural Women’s Day, The Guard talked to 28-year-old Thembekile Nhlapo, a determined young woman from QwaQwa whose story of loss and perseverance reflects the unbreakable spirit of South Africa’s rural women.

“Life was sweet growing up with both my parents. We didn’t have much, but we had love and that made everything beautiful. But when my father passed away in 2014, everything changed. He was our breadwinner, and losing him to crime broke us completely. We had to find ways to survive,” says Thembekile.

She began helping her mother, Moselantja, by working at her former school’s tuckshop and running a small kota business from home.

“Even with pain in my heart, I knew I had to keep moving. My mother was my biggest motivation. I had to help my mother make ends meet. I had to learn how to juggle my school work and making money for our basic needs at home.”

In 2015, Thembekile matriculated with three distinctions and earned a bursary to study further, but two years later she lost it after struggling to cope emotionally.

“Losing that bursary felt like losing my father all over again. It crushed me. But that pain taught me that failure isn’t the end, it’s a lesson to start again.”

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, opportunities became even scarcer. “Covid made everything worse. So I decided to use my graduation money to start a sewing business with my mom. Every garment we made was proof that we were still standing.”

Life in QwaQwa has never been easy.

“In rural areas, you learn to make something out of nothing. Our business was challenged by loadshedding, I struggled to find a job because of the high unemployment, and lack of opportunities which are part of life in my community, but I kept on going. I’ve done it all, from volunteering at the Bluegumbosch conservancy, seasonal farm work, and landscaping, because in every challenge there’s a chance to learn resilience.”

Her career slowly took shape. “I started as a volunteer, then became a seasonal farm worker, an Education Assistant, and later worked for the IEC. That job changed me. I learned how to serve my community and how powerful it is when young people take responsibility for their future.”

She later became an Environmental Monitor, helping learners connect with nature.

“That’s when I started writing. I had an article published in the park’s Go-Wild magazine, it was one of my proudest moments. I even trained as a chainsaw operator, breaking into a field where women are rarely seen.”

Today, Thembekile works as a Service Consultant at one of South Africa’s biggest institutions.

“QwaQwa taught me the power of hard work and humility. We might not have much, but we have heart. I want every rural girl to know her dreams are valid, no matter where she comes from.”

The International Day of Rural Women, celebrated annually on 15 October, was first observed in 2008 after being established by the United Nations General Assembly (Resolution 62/136) in 2007.

It recognizes the vital role of rural and indigenous women in driving agricultural development, improving food security, and eradicating poverty.

This year, UN Women calls for renewed global action to support rural women and girls, empowering them to lead in climate change adaptation, sustainable farming, and natural resource management.

Thembekile’s journey echoes that call, a reminder that when rural women rise, entire communities grow stronger.