Embedded Files
Judith, or Judie as she is known, grew up in Du Toitsville (Die Point), and at the age of fourteen, due to the forced removals act, moved to Ida’s Valley, where she now resides in her ouer huis. Die Point can be traced back to 1687 when “French Huguenot Guilaume du Toit”, along with his brother, came to South Africa. Du Toit later married and settled in the Stellenbosch area, where his farm likely included the area where the station is today (Du Toit’s stasie, in Porter road, La Colline). As the town’s first railway station was developed, a hamlet appeared around it, known as Du Toitsville. In 1962, “when the railroad came to Stellenbosch,” Du Toit station was built right behind “Mercedes Benz in Bird street” ('nDromer, 2016). Judith left high school in standard eight (now known as grade 10) and started her forty-six-year-long journey in retail in 1979 at OK Bazaars. She retired from a landbou company two years ago. Judith was married for ten years and has one son born out of that relationship. She often does not know how to refer to herself after her divorce, is she a divorcee or is she single. Judith also holds the title of Mrs Stellenbosch 2018, and still to this day her church introduces their former usher to new members as, “This is Judie, die model, Mrs Stellenbosch.”
Upon entering Judie’s home, I take her through the process of what my study entails, and she admits to me that she is nervous.
I ask: “Hoekom?”
Judie: “Jou ma het vir my gesê jy is 'n lekker mens en maklik om met te gesels, maar die consent form wat jy gestuur het, dit het my nervous gemaak.”
Me: “Ugh, shame, nee! Dit is nie so complicated soos ek dit laat klink het nie, jammer!”
Judie chuckles and says: “Ek het toe een van my meisies, tenant’s, gevra wat is feminism?”
Me: “Aww, nee! Toe wat sê sy?”
Judie: “She said, Auntie Judie, it is basically about how men run the world and how women fight for equal rights.”
Ek lag toe en knik my kop.
Judie: “Toe dink ek, great! Ek het baie te sê oor daai.”
I laugh and reply: “Mhm, ons sal daar kom, maar klink lekker.”
I do not share a personal relationship with Judie. I have never met or interacted with her before our interview. Furthermore, Judie is well known in the Stellenbosch area (something that she sheds light on as the interview progresses). However, my parents know Judie’s family, and my mum has followed her pageant journey since her participation back in 2018.
Judie fondly speaks about her fourteen years living in The Point, she highlights that she had the best childhood, Judie states, “Dit was veilig, ons het groot geword in 'n shack, goeie tye. Kry 'n galley blik maak 'n vuur, geen guns, en moord nie. Ons huis was in Birdstraat, waar die garage nou is was my ouma se huis, vier dogters in 'n shack. Daar was nie regtig compensation vir my ouma se grond nie, ons was die enigste familie wat Ida’s Valley toe getrek en die res Cloetesville. Apartheid’s jarre, you couldn’t really say anything”. Judie was only fourteen when her family was forcibly removed from their home, she laughs and says, “Nog nat agter die ore”. At the time she accepted Apartheid for what it was and proclaims, “That is just how things worked, it never bothered me that much” and highlights that she was elated that her and her family got to move into a real house made of “regte sement en klip, it felt like an adventure” but as she grew older and more compassionate she realised that the happiness she felt was probably not afforded to the older generations that occupied Die Point, that it was probably the most defeated and heart wrenching of times being taken from all that you know.
Howbeit, this was not Judie’s final dance with the municipality. Judie spent a good majority of her life living in municipality housing and raising her son, she states, “Dit was hard. Ons het baie min gehad, som dae lewe ons op brood, som aande dan maak ek al die vensters en gordyne toe, dan eet ons jungle oats vir aandete. Hy het maar altyd verstaan”. Pap is an easily detectable smell, and to Judie at the time, it was no one’s business what was transpiring in her household. Judie was experiencing food insecurity, closing the windows and not wanting her neighbours to smell her dinner some evenings, could signify that she was afraid that people might think she could not provide. Kendall (2020:35) highlights, “As a society, we tend to treat hunger as a moral failing, as a sign that someone is lacking in a fundamental way”. To me, this showcases that Judie at the time was a ‘trying’ mum, this is a term I do not use lightly. Often, a trying mum to me is a mother in need of financial assistance, and it does not mean that they cannot provide at all; it is often a form of providing what they have access to, in this instance, pap en brood. Kendall notes, “It’s hard to take a rich woman’s children; it is remarkably easy to take a poor woman’s, though”. Perhaps there is room to admit that most women are struggling, “we could stop acting like food insecurity is a sin or a shame for any individual and treat it rightfully like an indictment of our society” (Kendall, 2022:36), that they are poor and that it is not easy to feed their children or themselves most days.
Moreover, Judie is “dankbaar” for all that she endured and joyfully says, “My seun is alright, I got him through school. Het hom streng groot gemaak, vir hom gesê education will save you. Ek het altyd vir hom gesê, jy sien hoe swaar kry ons, gaan leer! She knocks on the table. Hy het 'n goeie werk in 'n goeie provinsie met 'n goeie salaris”. At the time, she was fearful about the challenges that “swaar groot word” can bring for her son, living in municipality housing, the gangs, the drugs, and the bad influences, but proudly says, “Hy was nooit so nie, hy was altyd 'n goeie kind. Net een aand smoordronk bydie huis aangekom” she laughs. However, Judie was not just facing challenges of raising a child in a gang-stricken part of town, but the fear that swaarkry would follow them, and says, “My life was a rollercoaster.”
I ask: “Hoe so?”
Judie tells me about one of her many rollercoaster rides, her as a former spouse, she says, “Dit was baie rocky, ek het so baie na my ma se huis ontsnap. Ek was vyf keer van hom af weg. Hy het baie gedrink en was baie oor vriende, as 'n getroude vrou voel jy so alleen, maar ek het probeer. Ons was sielkundiges in en uit vir huweliks berading, en dan is ons weer okay for 'n week of so, dan begin dit maar net weer”. Although upon his death three years ago they did not have an active relationship, but Judie still arranged his funeral, she says, “My seun het vir my dankie gesê, maar baie mense het nie verstaan hoekom ek dit gedoen het nie. Hoekom doen jy dan daai vir hom vra hulle? – maar dit is my hart.”
Me: “Wie is baie mense?”
Judie: “My vriende veral, maar ook net mense wat my ken al was on nie so close nie”. Before his death, Judie went to visit him in hospice care. She took his hand in hers and said, “Ek vergewe jou vir alles, en hy se toe dankie.”
As I bring up her winning title of Mrs Stellenbosch 2018, Judie throws her head back laughing and resurfaces with a slight red tint on her cheeks and says, “Ai.”
“Wat nou?” I chuckle
She chuckles again and shakes her head.
Me: “What made you want to partake in a pageant?”
Judie: “Dit is ge host deur, oh kan ek dan nou nie by haar naam kom nie, famous drag queen van Stellenbosch.”
Me: “Ek ken baie drag queens, maar specifically in Stellies? Is dit Enigma von Hamburg?”
Judie: “Ja, Enigma! – ai, Mrs Stellenbosch was net vir fun. Dit het nooit gegaan oor iets anders nie, nie eens die kroon verwag nie.”
I do a little shimmy with my shoulders and say: “Maar het gewen, mhm.”
Judie laughs and says: “Ai, ja.”
Mrs Stellenbosch Pageant is a part of The Annual Stellenbosch Pageant: Empowering Young Leaders, created by Queen Enigma von Hamburg in 2011 (The Annual Stellenbosch Pageant, 2011). Queen Enigma von Hamburg is a well-known drag artist from Stellenbosch and a notable figure in the “pageantry world”. In drag culture, queens are separated into categories, like the look queen, the comedy queen, and, like Enigma, a pageant queen (Dragička, 2022). According to her Facebook page, she is not only a pageant coach but has ranked in over seventy-five pageant titles herself. Apart from drag, Enigma is also an MC, director, event planner, and owns a small business called EvH Empire that is a modelling academy, image consulting firm, and houses events (Evh Empire Facebook page, 2005).
In local newspaper articles, the pageant itself has not received much coverage. This could be because the pageant is not considered a national pageant but local, and predominantly caters to the town of Stellenbosch. Whilst the pageant first started in 2011, it only gained national media attention in 2016 through Netwerk 24, which described the pageant as “The most sought after pageant in the Cape Winelands” (Netwerk 24, 2016). The article sheds light on the theme of the 2016 pageant, which was “Masquerade Ball” and encourages guests to dress up in either cocktail wear or evening wear, and the best-dressed guest will win a cash prize (Netwerk 24, 2016).
Von Hamburg funds the annual pageant out of her own pocket as a community-building initiative that seeks to create role models who serve as a point of reference to the community of Stellenbosch. According to the pageant’s Facebook page, von Hamburg sought to take a non-traditional approach to pageantry, instead of focusing on gender roles, appearance, and likability, von Hamburg established the pageant to create a “beacon of hope” to empower the community (The Annual Stellenbosch Pageant, 2011). The pageant is therefore not a catalyst for existing pageant queens, who have built up a repertoire of social media followers, endorsement deals and marketing campaigns to support their run. Instead, the pageant aims to accentuate existing voices and active members of society to further uplift and inspire their communities. The title that is afforded by winning or participating in the pageant is geared towards raising funding and empowering oneself to confront social issues like food insecurity, gang violence, and teenage pregnancy. Von Hamburg created the slogan “Beauty with a Purpose” and states, “As the pageant director, I am privileged to nurture young individuals who possess the protentional to rise above their circumstances and become heroes in their communities, driving societal change.” (The Annual Stellenbosch Pageant, 2011).
The pageant caters to all age groups, body types, genders and sexualities. The sashes all represent different categories from Miss Teen Stellenbosch to Miss Gay Stellenbosch. Instead of separating these categories like most pageants do, von Hamburg brings diverse backgrounds together to foreground tolerance and respect and constructs an “equitable society.” (The Annual Stellenbosch Pageant, 2011).
Judie is seen seated next to Miss Stellenbosch off to the left as one of the official winners at the closing ceremony of the pageant. Judie is seen pictured in an evening gown, a crown, and a sash that says “Mrs Stellenbosch”. These images showcase Judie’s journey from contestant to her crowning. Judie is the thirtieth entry in the pageant, and her attire alludes to the category of semi-casual as she is pictured in a pair of jeans with heels. Judie is seen walking the runway in an off-white silk or satin gown, suggesting that this is the formal attire category, which is often the last category of a pageant. Judie remains on the stage and surrounded by her fellow contestants, but christened as Mrs Stellenbosch, pictured in her crown and sash. In an all white pakkie, Judie poses for a professional photoshoot that was set up by von Hamburg after the crowning ceremony to introduce the pageant’s official title holders and introduce them to the community via social media.
Von Hamburg’s teachings, as stated on the pageant's Facebook page, are that the crown allows for better opportunities to acquire funding and that it is supposed to be enjoyable and silly, and “the experience fosters confidence, assertiveness, and essential life skills.” (The Annual Stellenbosch Pageant, 2011). This was exactly what Judie experienced as the reigning Mrs Stellenbosch 2018 winner. The title of Mrs Stellenbosch heightened Judie’s role in the community, and the title itself gave her a hupstoot, especially in the financial aspect of her philanthropy work, she says, “My eerste poging was om sop uit te deel bydie skole. Toe het ek 'n karaoke aand gereël vir die kinderhuis daar in Du Toit stasie. Ek wou regtig twentig insamel maar net tien gekry. Het na al die winkels gegaan om borge te kry, en ek het. Ons het toe kos uitgedeel bydie nag skuiling.”
“Die nagskuiling is ridiculous, ek hoor dit is nou R15.” I say
Judie sighs and says: “Oh, ek stress sommer, voel soos ek tien bloeddruk pille moet gaan drink net as ek daaraan dink.”
“Nee maar dan pee jy weer die heeltyd.” I joke
“Mos hoekal!” She laughs.
Furthermore, the visuals of the pageant although filled with spontaneity, fun, and a marker of community are not Judie’s chosen visual for her narrative. Judie’s chosen visual is a more recent photograph of herself that conveys agency and acceptance.
Judie’s visual is a photograph taken of her on Christmas morning in 2024 at Stellenbosch University’s Conserve (the music department) where the church of Hillsong, which Judie is a member of, gathers for church services. In this image Judie is wearing a blue and white maxi-dress, sits angled towards the camera, and is surrounded by Christmas decorations; the high red chair perfectly off to the side, the Christmas tree in the back and a cut off white sheet with writing on it, this photobooth type if aesthetic shows the space and time in which this photograph was taken and the intention behind what it was meant for. This highlights that Judie sat down for a picture taken of her in a curated space specifically for visual purposes, and although her gaze is not fixated on the camera, her body is perfectly in frame, she is sitting with her on leg on top the other, her blue and white dress perfectly reaching the length of her body, her open toed sandals and nude pedicured toe nails on display, with her hands resting in her lap, but her smile indicates that she is aware that she is being photographed.
During the exploration of Judie’s visual, Judie also takes me back in time and reflects by shedding light on her past in order for me to fully capture why she specifically chose her visual. Judie laughs and says, “Ek is welbekend in die buurt, mal Judie Fernandez”. Here, Judie is referencing her outspoken nature or as she refers to herself, “Nie op my bek geval nie”. Kendall (2020:99) refers to herself as outspoken and “depending on who you ask, I am either fiercely feminist or incredibly toxic”. However, Kendall (2020:102) does not romanticise her outspoken nature and trademarks it as “the fetishization of fierce”. Womxn who are labelled as angry, candid and straightforward are often womxn who are “less privileged” (Kendall, 2020:102). Womxn who speak out about injustices are not regarded as saviours but as sacrifices; occasionally, they are praised for their outspoken nature by womxn who could not do the same. Nevertheless, outspoken womxn do not always have a backup plan; they risk their safety, income and must carry the consequences that come with being ‘fierce’ or ‘sassy’. Kendall (2020:104) proclaims that there is often no “life after activism”; fierce’ womxn frequently still face a lack of emotional and social resources and poverty.
Judie ventures into her retirement, although she was already sixty years old, she speaks on how much of herself she gave to her company and that she did not want to retire, but had to. Judie is struggling with mobility issues, severe hip and lower back pain that has made it impossible to physically work, but states that there is more. While enduring the pain, she still worked, she says, “Ek kon nie alles behartig nie, hulle was so lelik met my” here Judie is referencing her former employers that afforded her little to no empathy at the time of her retirement. Judie elaborates and states, “Ek het gaan werk met 'n seer rug, ek het al my kop gestamp en aanhou werk”. Judie has put her physical health on the line multiple times just to show that she is worthy. Judie recalls that “die landbou industry is vol male dominance”. I must admit, although I do not find the misogyny and soos Judie states “male dominance” unsurprising in the landbou industry (since agriculture plays a vital role in South Africa, and the majority of students I have interacted with from the agriculture department have been men). I have not considered how marginalised and excluded womxn of colour must feel in this industry and how they must constantly negotiate their worth and navigate their silencing. At the time, Judie was fighting multiple forms of oppression that deeply impacted her racial and economic realities. Kendall (2020:1) argues that “we expect marginalized voices to ring out no matter what obstacles they face, and then we penalize them for not saying the right thing in the right way”. Race and gender played a pivotal role in her desire to constantly push back and push forward despite the discrimination she endured in the agricultural industry.
To elaborate, Judie had the experience for a managerial position, but it was never afforded to her. She explains, “Men in higher positions or a white girl in a secretarial position, ek was nooit genoeg of die kans gegee om myself te bewys nie. So ek vra jou, wanneer is jou beste jou beste?” Judie is not afraid of asking those difficult societally created questions, she recalls being given a survey, she cannot remember who administered it whether it was the government or a company that does quantitative work, but you could complete the survey independently and on the survey, she wrote, “Jy doen aansoek, en dan is dit maar net weer 'n man, almal mans mense. So I asked, hoekom is dit net mans mense?”. Judie states that even the opportunities she was given to perfect her craft, like her three-month-long short course in Austria, she proclaims, “Al my managers en facilitators was mans of wit vrouens. Ek kan ook nie daarmee stry dat meskien is dit omdat hulle almal op Universiteit was nie, maar drie maande in Austria het ek gedink dit is die kennis wat ek opgetel het en nodig gehad het, meskien is dit my hupstoot. Die werk vra jou altyd waar wil jy wees in vyf jaar? En ek wil mos nou 'n hoër pos hê, maar ek was dit nooit gegun nie. Maak nie saak hoe baie ek myself ge push het nie, beserings, my kop gekap en my heup seer gemaak het, ek het alles gedoen”.
Here Judith is fondly highlighting some of her ‘mal streke’. Judie may refer to this as “malligheid”, but it is her fearlessness that stands out to me, that she may be known as “mal Judie Fernandez” (Fernandez is her nooiensvan). Personally, malligheid would insinuate that she was cognitively unaware of her actions, that it was a moment of losing control and a lapse in judgment. Throughout our interview, I have come to realise that this is not moments of being unhinged, but that this is her chosen method of actively fighting back. To substantiate, Judie may not have been able to reach some of her expected heights herself, but she was elated to hear about her new colleague, a fellow Coloured woman, but things did not pan out the way she had hoped. There was an opening in the department for a secretarial position. A colleague who directly worked with Judie’s manager at the time told Judie that they had thrown out all the Coloured applicants ’ CVs, and that it was in the bin, using her colleague to hou soute while she broke into her manager’s office to see for herself if they had indeed thrown out all the Coloured applicants. “Dit was toe so”, she confirms, she then took pictures of the disposed CVs, but was elated to see that a Coloured woman was appointed for the position. She says, “Dit was 'n meisie wat wat eers by 'n bank gewerk het, 'n kleurling meisie wat ek geglo het moet die pos gekry het. Toe bel ek haar om te sê sy het die pos gekry, en iemand sal haar voor die einde van die week kontak, maar hy het geweet dit was ek wat gebel het. Die unie moes betrokke raak. Die pos was gestaak, van toe kom alles uit.”
Eventually, a white woman did get the job. The morning of her first day, their manager came to introduce her to her new colleagues. Judie admits, “Ek kyk netso en sê toe hello. Jy weet my gesig staan mos altyd op nul. Ek dink toe ons het dan nou net met die unie gepraat as gevolg van dit, hier bring hy nou die vrou, en vir my gesê ek weet jy is nie baie gelukkig nie en toe sê ek vir hom los dit net daar, maar hy sê toe dit was 'n mutual ooreenkoms”, yet again Judie draws on her own experiences, how she applied for positions she was wholly qualified for, putting her physical health on the line, and says, “Niks was ooit goed genoeg nie, ek het nooit bevordering gekry nie. And I was good at my job!” she exclaims. Judie proves this by venturing into the process of breeding with fruit flies. According to Judie, the fruit fly is not native to South Africa; they breed with them for the farmers in the immediate community so they wouldn’t have to use gifstowwe. She demonstrates, “Ons vat die onnatuurlikheid van die gifstowwe weg, en dan is dit die vrugte vlieg teen die vrugte vlieg. Ons los die mannetjies vry in die wingerde, dan kom hulle in aanraaking meet die wyvies, hulle mate, maar dit is nie fertile nie, daar word geen eiers vrygelaat nie, dit ontwikkel nie binne die vrug nie dit gaan dood. Dit keer dat die vrug nie afval nie, die mans is sterile, dan gaan lê sy haar eiertjie binne in die vrug – ons het probeer om die populasie van die vlieg te verminder in die wingerde”, she is visibly excited and passionate as she speaks about the nitty gritty and the more scientific approach of the process, but sighs, nevertheless.
This has been an ongoing theme in Judie’s work life. It started back at OK Bazaars, where “sekere mense” were caught stealing, but only “sekere mense” were arrested. Judie explains that there was a white male law student who was caught shoplifting. Judie was in a meeting when she got the news, and says, “And I asked in the meeting, why are you only arresting the Coloured people? Julle verneder hulle so, hulle steel brood en 'n stukkie kaas, die student het 'n cd gesteel – 'n stukkie kaas en brood die ou is mos honger, maar 'n cd? Dit is mos onnodig! Hoe veroordeel jy en jy ken nie hulle situasie nie?”
I pose the question to Judith: “Where do you get your fearlessness from?”
Judith: “Iets snap net, and I have to stand up for myself, ek sê my sê, ek is nie bang vir mens nie, what is wrong is wrong. If you see something you must say something, ek spieg vuur. She chuckles and says I have a little of my dad in me altwee hardegat, maar ek kan accountability vat. Ek kan myself minder maak en jammer sê, meskien was ek bietjie haastig gewees, maar ek sal onverskoning vra. Maar wanneer iets eers in my kop knak dan is dit verby dan moet ek iets sê, iemand moet dit doen!”
“Met daai gesê, hoe is dit om 'n Coloured vrou te wees?" I ask
“n Kleurling vrou?” She clarifies
“Mhm” I nod to confirm
To Judith it is astonishing that women of colour post-apartheid are still not getting better opportunities and a better education, and says, “In algemeen, is dit moeilik, meskien blanke mense ervaar dit makliker, maar ons as kleurling vrouens, uhm, dit is bietjie moeilik veral as jy hulp nodig het. Ek het altyd gaan hulp soek bydie munisipale om 'n woonstel te kry ek het vir twee jaar geloop en smeek vir my eie mense. As 'n kleurling vrou voel jy altyd less, veral in die geletteredheid sin, meskien kleurling vrouens met 'n PhD gaan dit meskien bietjie beter. Maar om die gewone kleurling vrou te wees is 'n moeilike storie, want jy kry nie maklik hulp nie veral nie van die government nie. Jy gaan dan gee hulle vir jou die soorte storie dan daai storie, dit is net nie maklik nie. Ek wens die system staan ons net bietjie meer by as vrou. Soveel vrouens sukkel en ons praat maar daaroor, jy stress, die bloedruk is hoog, maar niemand bring hulle kant nie. Niemand wil jou help nie”.
Me: “Ek dink often, dat ons as Coloured vrouens vra ook nie maklik vir hulp nie. En wanna jy doen en dit word net weer terug gegooi in jou gesig is dit amper soes, exactly my point.”
Judie: “Presies, daar is net 'n system of die system het ons almal ge fail.”
Me: “Meskien is dit tyd om net daai system te dismantle, dismantle is a fun word, maar dit is hard en emotionally draining.”
Judie: “Ons kan begin met parliament.”
Me: “Hoe so?”
Judie: “Daar is so min kleurling vrouens in die parlament. Dit is belangrik dat hulle hul eie stemme ook hoor. Wees daar vir ander kleurling vrouens. We don’t all have that push, no one listens to us, we do have a say, for future and present Coloured women.”
Judie’s chosen visual speaks about her hardship with vigour and assertiveness, her visual holds another truth; Judie’s focus has shifted. To spotlight, her visual speaks beyond the anger and feelings of inadequacy she fostered during her employment status. This visual represents who she is in the present moment. She is self-assured, at ease with her past, and says, “I am sitting with and in my boldness, it is unwavering faith, ek het my doel bereik.”
Me: Jy het jou doel bereik, hoe so?”
Judie: “Ek wil net nooit weer terug kyk nie. Ek is moeg gebaklei, ek was maar altyd die vark in die verhaal, van ek het nooit stil gebly nie. Nou raak ek oud, dit is te veel.”
However, in her chosen visual, there is a longing for her son, whom she has not celebrated Christmas in two years, in this visual, the only thing Judie is missing is her boy. To Judy, her visual is a form of no longer looking back, she says she misses her son, but she also sets him free. This visual represents Judy letting go and says, “Ek het niks nodig nie. Maar ek wil hê iemand anders se kind moet 'n veilige plek het om na toe te gaan. Ons jeug van die strate af te hou”.
“Wat het jy in gedagte?” I ask
Judie: “Meskien 'n saal waar die homeless kan gaan slaap, maar ook werksondervinding kan op doen. Hulle kry klasse, kos en hulle rook dingetjie, sigarette daagliks.”
“Ek hou van die feit dat die entjie ook included is.” I chuckle
Judie laughs and says: Ja, shame, almal het maar hulle plesiertjie, dit is menslik.”
Me: “Baie waar.”
Judie: “Maar ek wil ook hê hulle moet weer aansluit bydie samelewing, terugkeer na die gemeenskap. There is more than enough money and resources, they are lying to us”, Judy says that she feels so much ease when she lies in bed at night, “My huis is rustig, ek wens daai rustigheid op almal.”
Judie references her new form of income. Judie is a proud huismoeder to six female students who occupy her grounds. Upon her retirement, Judie knew that she was not going to be able to live off her provident fund and says, “Dit was so min geld, my seun het amper op sy rug geval toe hy sien hoe min ek kry, maar ek moes die bond betaal, hoe nou? Ek het geen inkomste, ek moes myself voorentoe ruk. I had to push myself. Baie vrouens gee op, daai was nooit 'n opsie nie, dit was nog altyd net ek. Toe vat ek daai geld en sit toe die Nutec op. Nou is die studente my inkomste”. Judie used the money she got from her provident fund to buy a Nutec home, which is set up in her backyard, so she could take on four more students apart from the two postgrad students who stay in her home. Judie takes me on a little expedition through her home and the Nutec, where her students will be staying. This interview was conducted in late January, and her students have not moved in yet as classes have not officially begun. The Nutec is fully furnished, with two girls per bedroom. Judie het provision gemaak vir alles that they may need, tot op 'n little holder in the shower that catches excess hair, so it does not clog the drain.
“Wow! Dit is so liefliik!” I say as I take a look around.
She chuckles and says: “Die varsity en NSFAS het 'n klomp dinge, so ek doen dit maar. Solank hulle gemaklik voel.”
Judie has a strict no male bodies on her property rule and says, “Ek is nie outyds nie.”
“Is jy seker?” I joke
“Hey! She laughs and elaborates. Ek weet hulle is groot meisies wat groot meisie dinge doen. Maar die man wat jy inbring ken jou roommates nie, ek wil nooit hê meisies moet onder my dak ontveilig voel nie. They are my children, I am responsible for you, and I protect the girls on my plot. Ek glo daaraan om mense se harte te steel, not walking on eggshells. Jou boyfriend staan buite die hek, jy kry hom daar dan gaan julle. Daai is my wette”.
It would be easy to nullify university students as responsible for their own care and protection since they are legal and consenting adults. Furthermore, Gender Based Violence (GBV) and femicide in present-day South Africa have been ordered to be declared a national state of disaster. According to Women for Change (WFC, 2016), an organisation that raises awareness of GBV through their social media platforms, stated that in 2024, “5,578” women were murdered in South Africa and “42,569” rape cases were reported (WFC, 2025). Moreover, Kendall (2020:119) emphasises that, “There isn’t anything approaching a unified effective response to gender-based violence that is inclusive to all”. Of course, there is no easy solution to such a global crisis, but what I think Judie does effectively is creating protection through strict rules, boundaries and communication. She does not have any control over her girls once they leave her premises; she is aware that they date (in whichever way they choose) and are grown women who can choose who they share their bodies and time with. However, in her home, she actively tries to keep possible threats and harmful behaviour at a distance and reinforces the idea that “we must confront dangers in our own communities, schools, and churches, in order to address this crisis” (Kendall, 2020:120).
Community is an active, tangible and physical concept to Judie. However, Judie also lost a familial form of community, her sisters. Judie highlights that her ouerhuis was made out to her through her father’s will; her sisters were fiercely unhappy about her inheriting their childhood home, she says, “Ons was hof in en uit, my sisters het my naam sleg gemaak. Soms was dit so baie dat ek gedink het ek wil my eie lewe neem. Ons is nie op speaking terms nie, dit is nou al dertig jaar. Alles oor erf porsies”. Moreover, Judie fondly says “ek het baie girlfriends, kan nie altyd by almal uitkom nie, dan hoor die een ek was daar en daar, dan is hulle kwaad” She chuckles. Judie cites the church of Hillsong, where, before her mobility struggles took flight, she was an usher in the church, but is still very involved in the charitable work the church does in the community, like painting the orphanage in Gugulethu, as well as doing some gardening work at a creche in Khayamandi. Judie is a bit of a perfectionist and believes in doing things to the full extent. She laughs and recalls the day of the repainting of the orphanage and says, “Jy weet die Kaapse meisies paint mos so, she shows me a hand movement with a delicate en slap wrist. Gee net daai paint kwassie hier van ons paint nie sturvy in Stellenbosch nie!”
Judie also cites her Connect as one of her biggest sources of community. Judie and her girlfriends are pictured on a bus on their way to Hout Bay for their year end function. Judie chuckles and admits “mense sê vir my ons kry jou nooit nie. Ek is baie besig met my mense. Dan is ek saam met die kerk groep, my Connect groep. Ons is so ses of sewe meisies, dan is daar nog my ander vrinne, ons besluit naweke ons gaan uit. Ons book 'n plekkie, gaan Jonkershoek toe en gaan hou picnic, gaan Kaap toe, gaan kuier 'n vriend buite die groep,of gaan sit erens, ons praat en ons bid vir mekaar. Jy weet jy het vriende en dan het jy vriendinne, jy kan nie altyd by almal afpak soos by ander nie”.
Moreover, Judie has also created a palpable form of community amongst the young women who occupy her home, she says, “Hulle is nie net studente nie, hulle is my kinders. Ek maak vir hulle kos, soms curry bunnies of lasagne met slaai, dan sê ek vir hulle moet nie vanaand iets maak nie kom haal hier binne by my, bring julle borde en kom skep vir julle. Ek braai vir hulle, hulle moet tuis voel, ek probeer om iets spesiaal vir hulle birthdays ook te doen. Maar ai as jy vir hulle die pinkie gee vat hulle die hele hand, julle kinders is mos so” she chuckles and then proclaims, “Ek is baie lief vir hulle”. Furthermore, Judie is not just there as an occasional cook and landlord, sy het al 'n pad gestap met haar girls, she is there through unexpected pregnancies, suicide attempts, mental health struggles, difficult relationships with their parents, and one of her girls said to her, “No one understands me like you do, thank you Auntie Judie”. Judie has seen it all, and she wishes that the university in terms of counselling would do more for her girls, but she also understands that their problems are not “unique”, and that there are thousands of girls who are experiencing the same growing pains, that is why it is important to do her part as, “Mammie Judie” as some of the girls refer to her.
Now you can find Judie agter die potte as sy wel eendag besluit om bydie huis gevind te word. Judie’s cooking creates longing and nostalgia; she tells me about her friend and neighbour who is battling cancer, and she has since passed during the transcribing of this interview. Moreover, before returning home, she was admitted to hospice care, she says “sy het nie hospitaal kos geëet nie. Die nurse het vir my gesê sy soek slangetjie kos. Ek moes dit toe vir haar maak”.
Me: “My ma sê altyd as iemand op hulle doods bed lê, daai eet lus wat skielik return. Daai iets waarvoor hulle specifically lus het toon tekens van die einde.”
Judie: “Dit is so, dit is baie waar. Jy moet dit maak, van kanker pasiente veral is nie baie bekend vir hulle eet lus nie”
In her downtime, Judie indulges in television series and films; she is fond of the genres of true-crime and FBI-related shows. After our interview, she takes me through her Netflix line-up and suggests some movies and series for me to have a gander at. We both agreed that Night Agent had a thrilling first season, and we are both looking forward to season two, but the majority of Judie’s suggestions were rather out of my interests. But she gave me an Uncle Fannie rundown, which made them seem more complex and riveting. I particularly enjoyed how she pays attention to foreshadowing and intricate details of the scenes. Judie wishes that she could return to one of her biggest passions and past times, gardening. However, it requires too much physical endurance and strength. She says “Ek is baie lief vir tuinmaak, moes retire het van dit. Hulle het so baie gesteel van my plante uit my yard uit, dan huil ek. Jy kan die kos uit my yskas steel maar los net my plante.”
Judith: “Ysters kan ek nie breek met hand nie.”
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