Bomme Ba Seaparo ‘Women of prayer’

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 When women could not take guns and go the battle line,when they didn’t have the physical strength of combat like men, they went down on their knees and prayed.

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On the morning of 21 March 1960 a few Sharpeville women joined the men in the march while the rest carried on with their daily activities and became the ones that lived to tell the story. After the day some might have stayed home to care for their injured while, the church women put their doeks  and went to their various church houses to pray for the healing of the land and its people, and then back to care for their young activists. Their book of faith speaks of not being enough to tell a naked and hungry man to go well and be blessed without having fed or clothed him.

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To this day the church women of Sharpeville still carry on with the religious ways of the ones that came before them. They are active and take pride in their faith which they believe helped alleviate the pains of the struggle against apartheid. This is reflected in the honorable manner they conduct themselves in their church garments,known as seaparo.

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Like most African Christian women, the ones in Sharpeville are no exception; they take responsibility for teaching the children about their faith at home.  It is such a celebration when a young woman reaches the stage when she receives her seaparo, it is given as merit for good behavior on her part and symbolizes a serious commitment to her faith and church.

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These groups of church women have held fast to the tradition of gathering in church on

Thursdays every week to fellowship, praise and pray together. They pray for their families,

Churches, communities and country