The Strength of Care: Why Nurturance Is a Form of Power
One of the most misunderstood qualities of the ANC Women’s League was their capacity for care. Many assumed that care made them soft, but history shows the opposite. Their care was disciplined, strategic, and strong enough to reshape a nation.
It was care that made them march in 1954, standing together against the pass laws that threatened to break families apart. It was care that drove them to organise food programmes, wellness clinics, and support networks in Soweto and other communities during times of deep hardship. It was care that made them challenge systems designed to limit women’s freedom and dignity.
Their care was not emotional reaction. It was purposeful action.
They cared for families, for communities, and for the generations coming after them. They carried responsibility in both hands: running homes, raising children, supporting each other, and confronting injustice head-on. Care was the backbone of their strength.
This lesson is essential today, especially when we talk about gender-based violence in the DeafBlind community. Care is not symbolic. It is protection. It is the work that prevents harm long before we need to respond to it.
Nurturance builds safety:
It restores dignity.
It reduces vulnerability.
It creates environments where women are seen, heard, and believed.
It strengthens communities from the inside out.
Men who honour understand that care is not separate from leadership. Care is leadership.
A man who can protect displays strength.
A man who can support displays integrity.
A man who can care without hesitation displays true power — the kind of power that uplifts, not controls.
For DeafBlind women, care must be practical and intentional.
It means accessible communication.
It means understanding their unique risks.
It means stepping in early.
It means standing close, not standing back.
The Women’s League showed us that care is not passive.
Care builds movements.
Care challenges injustice.
Care changes nations.
When men choose care as part of their strength, they continue the legacy of leadership rooted in honour, not dominance. They become builders of safety, protectors of dignity, and partners in a future where every woman — including every DeafBlind woman — can live without fear.
Care is not weakness.
Care is action.
Care is power.