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1 " It was natural given such clear teachings that I readily took the blame for the disastrous situation in which I found myself. My understanding of my religion offered me little solace. Indeed, by encouraging self-blame, it deprived me of a sense of justice...of being the injured one. "
― Sindiwe Magona , Forced to Grow
2 " CWC (Church Women Concerned) enabled us as women in that part of South Africa, to see ourselves as ordinary citizens who found themselves in decidedly far from ordinary circumstances. In truth, some of us were not even considered citizens, strictly speaking: the African had, by this time, been completely deprived of that privilege. "
3 " The three children of fear and confusion - Cowardice, Corruption and Colonisation - had arrived.Suddenly I did not know what I knew or who I knew.With the exception of my mother, my own sisters and brothers, and my own children, I did not know anyone at this time. Some neighbours sprouted horns that could gore me. Colleagues I had known and trusted grew tails. And friends had the Devil's own fire roaring, ready to fry me to brittle bone.The pressure was fierce for people, everybody, to be involved in what was happening. But not all did so out of conviction. "
4 " As might be surmised, CWC was multi-racial, multi-denominational, inclusive of all faiths. It had members from the Christian faith, the Islamic faith and the Jewish faith. The primary objective was to build bridges, to effect reconciliation, to attempt to live lives that projected well into the future, to a time when the laws that separated us according to skin colour would be no more.It was a fond dream put forward as a testimony of faith. We truly believed the possibility existed for apartheid to be dismantled. Therefore, it behoved us to hasten the process by living the future now. "
5 " I have this fear that if I ever believe that others wield power over my destiny, that I am so vulnerable, I might as well abdicate control of my life. For if I accept that, what is to stop me attributing to others all the setbacks I encounter? And once that happens, why would I do anything to get back on my own two feet? I would be virtually saying that it was beyond me to reclaim myself. I would be accepting absolute lack of control. And the Good Lord knows, I had very little control over my life as it was.This fear, this need to go on believing I am in the driver's seat, may be the one ingredient in my make-up I will not find it easy to relinquish.Therefore, with everything that I cherished taken, broken or out of reach, I resolved I would become self-sufficient. I would work hard. I would study. I would pull myself up by my bootstraps. Yes, even though I had still to acquire the boots. "
