22 minute read
Prayer of Salvation
Father God I come to you broken, lost and a sinner. There is nothing I can do to save myself from sin or judgement to come, I need You Lord. Thank You Jesus for what You did on the cross of calvary for the world and especially for me. Thank You that You died and took my place. Father, I ask that You apply the blood of Jesus to my life, wash me with Your Word and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Today I accept Your free gift of salvation and ask that You make me your child. I understand that becoming Your child is not based on what I’ve done or who I am but based on who You are and what You have done for me. I accept Your love, sacrifice, forgiveness and healing. Come take Your place on the throne of my heart and fill me, mark me for eternity. Transform me into the likeness of Christ Jesus my Lord. Sustain me with Your power and grace and enable me to walk in Your ways all the days of my life. I lay down my old life and I take up Your new life. I am now a new creation, a child of the most High God. I give You my heart dear Lord, I commit my life to You, empower me to be and do all you have ordained for me. Amen
Melene Rossow is not only a phenomenal woman, but she is also real, humble, strong, and more than willing to share herself with others and touch their lives. She was not raised with a silver spoon and is proud of the humble beginnings from which she emerged. I hope her story will inspire you to live your God-ordained life; to persevere and be courageous, regardless of the hardships. In her own words “Being obedient to the calling and following Jesus is not easy at all but knowing that I am being used as a vessel to grow his Kingdom makes it all worthwhile.”
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Melene is an internationally recognised gender and human rights activist, global award winner, public speaker, moderator, facilitator, strategist, and consultant. She is an attorney by profession with 13 years experience in the private, governmental, and nongovernmental sectors. Melene graduated from the University of the Western Cape with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) and Master of Laws (LL.M) specialising in Public and Constitutional Law. Some of the positions she has held are attorney, legal researcher, national cabinet committee secretary, special advisor to the minister and ministerial media spokesperson. Melene has served in respected offices such as the Constitutional Court of South Africa, Western Cape High Court, The Presidency of South Africa and two National Government Ministries. In 2017, Melene co-founded Women Lead Movement and currently serves as the Executive Director of the organisation.
In 2020, Women Lead Movement established another office in Madagascar to build on its PanAfrican vision for the movement. Some of her accolades include being selected by the prestigious Obama Foundation as an Obama Leader in Africa (2018). She is also a contributor for the Future Africa Forum in Governance and Human Rights in Africa since 2017. In 2019, Melene was selected as one of 11 Spokeswomen in Africa for the Global Campaign on Gender Equality by the US based ONE Global Campaign and has subsequently participated in three more global campaigns such as #YoursInPower and #PassTheMic that respectively reached more than 750 000 and 250 million people globally.
In 2019, she was also selected as a Mandela Washington Fellow (MWF) by the US Department of State. Melene is also a member of the African Women Leadership Network, which is a movement supported by UN Women and the African Union as well as the Public Speaking Association of Southern Africa. In 2020, Melene was selected by Junior Chamber International (JCI) as one of the Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World honourees in the category for World Peace/Human Rights. She was also selected by JCI South Africa as a Top Outstanding Young Person in South Africa and nominated by Avance Media as ‘100 Most Influential Women in Africa 2020’. In October 2020, Melene was also selected as “100 Most Influential Young Africans” and made the Top Ten list of Most Influential Young Africans in the category for “Leadership and Civil Society” by Africa Youth Awards. In 2021, Melene was appointed as a Play Your Part Ambassador by Official Brand South Africa responsible for promoting a positive and compelling brand image for South Africa. She was also recently named as one of the 100 Most Influential South Africans and appointed as the youngest Board member of Western Province Professional Rugby.
Through her work she has initiated and led many impactful educational and advocacy programmes and interventions online and in communities reaching thousands of people in South Africa alone. Melene has also led highly complex public engagement processes on pertinent issues affecting the country and communities. She is often called upon to participate in engagements and share her expertise on issues relating to Democracy, Governance, Active Citizenry, and Gender Equality on national, regional, and international platforms
HOW AND WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
I was born in Bellville South, Cape Town. I grew up in a single parent home with my mother being the head of our household. I would describe my upbringing as modest. In reality I have no idea how my mother managed to raise two children on her own, working a full time job, studying part-time and even doing odd jobs to provide for us but in spirit I knew that God was with us in the boat. I attended the Bellville Moravian Primary School which is a church school so from a tender age I learned about God both in church and in
school. The first nine years of life was spent living in a backyard dwelling at my aunt’s home. One day a colleague of my mother told her that one of their homes is open for renting and she gave my mother the first option to rent. We were very excited about the move even though it was just down the road. The thought of living in a brick house and having our own room and bathroom was the best feeling in the world. We moved with only a bed and a few appliances so the house was quite empty for the first few months. Bellville South, like most coloured communities was not a very affluent community. We were dealing with high unemployment, substance abuse, gangsterism and women and child abuse and still do today. These were not things that I heard of but have seen and experienced in various contexts. Irrespective of the surroundings I was a very happy child. I was supported, loved and well taken care of.
IN A RECENT INTERVIEW WITH CAPE TALK YOU MENTION THAT YOU WON A GOLD MEDAL WHILE RUNNING BARE FEET. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE.
Yes, that was in 1994. I was 8 years old when I participated in my first ever non-racial national athletics championship. It was held in Pretoria. I can remember that event so vividly and still believe that my victory on that day was the catalyst for the other major victories that later followed in my life. I had to travel to Pretoria alone as my mother could not accompany me like so many other parents could. Knowing that I did not have a supporter in the stands other than my teammates was quite disheartening. At the time I did not have proper running shoes and ran the race barefoot but that was not a problem because for the months leading up to the event I trained on grass and barefooted so I was more than prepared for the race. When I won my first gold medal I felt very motivated because I realised that the colour of my skin was not important and that I will never allow people to define me by my race but by my talents, skills and abilities.
YOU SPEAK HIGHLY OF YOUR MOM, AS ANY CHILD SHOULD. HOW DID SHE MANAGE TO SINGLEHANDEDLY RAISE SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL WOMAN AS YOU?
I have never met a woman more determined and dedicated like my mother. She was never the victim but always the victor in her life’s story. It is hard to describe how incredibly powerful she really is but she always told us jokingly that “she is a chosen one” - meaning that God sought her out. She raised both my sister and I at the feet of God. She knew who her source of strength was and wanted us to know Him too. My mother is also an extremely educated woman and ensured that both my sister and I understood the importance of education at a very young age. Today, both of us hold two university degrees each. It was however her unwavering support in everything I did that gave me the confidence and courage to keep moving forward. She celebrated my victories and encouraged me at my lowest. She believed in my dreams as much as I believed in it. That was the driving force behind my success.
MY PREVIOUS QUESTION IS LINKED TO THE NOTION, BASED ON RESEARCH THAT FATHERLESS CHILDREN ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE POOR, BECOME INVOLVED IN DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE, DROP OUT OF SCHOOL AND SUFFER FROM HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS. YOUR LIFE IS TESTAMENT THAT THE LOVE AND SUPPORT OF A SINGLE PARENT IS NOT ONLY A PSYCHOLOGICAL PROTECTIVE FACTOR BUT WILL ENABLE CHILDREN TO EXCEL BEYOND EXPECTATION. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THAT SINGLE PARENT OR FATHERLESS CHILD READING
YOUR STORY?
My mother’s love, compassion and consistent support were all I needed. She was as firm as she was gentle with us. We knew the rules and understood the boundaries she had set for us. We also knew what the consequences of stepping over boundaries would be. From a young
age she had instilled a healthy discipline in us. What made my mother’s teachings more impactful was her ability to lead by example. She wouldn’t preach education and not pursue her own. She would not teach compassion without showing it to others. She would not ask us to work hard if she did not work hard herself. Thus we started to aspire to be more like her. There was no time
for us to feel sorry for ourselves though I did feel sorry for her that she had to carry so much alone but she has always been a graceful woman.
YOUR ENERGY IS BOUNDLESS, WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?
I draw motivation from seeing other people succeed especially people that had to fight hard and had to overcome many obstacles to get where they are. People who survive everything that was meant to break them, are powerful people. I am also motivated by the fact that somehow I am making a difference in the lives of others, however big or small, and that makes me happy because it means that I am serving God and his people with the talents he gave me. I always receive compliments about my ‘energy and passion’ and the strangest part is that even at my lowest moments that same energy and passion is seen and felt. This is how I knew that I was walking in purpose because some of my most impactful work was done when I felt broken and empty. My ultimate motivation lies in the fact that God is walking with me and that he has an amazing plan for my life.
WHERE YOU ARE TODAY DID NOT COME WITHOUT ITS CHALLENGES. LIKE THEY SAY, THERE’S ALWAYS A STORY BEHIND THE GLORY. WOULD YOU MIND SHARING ONE OF THE LOW MOMENTS IN YOUR LIFE AND HOW YOU OVERCAME IT?
Indeed. I have had many low moments in my life but I am eternally grateful for all them. I have emerged a different person every time. I believe that the purpose of challenges, and low moments in your life is to pull back the layers and discovering yourself in a way that you would not have been able to do had everything been well. One of the lowest moments was when I heeded God’s call to my purpose and for years thereafter I was stripped of everything that was familiar to me. There is a scripture in the bible that says “Come follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men” Being obedient to the calling and following Jesus is not easy at all but knowing that I am being used as a vessel to grow his Kingdom makes it all worthwhile. It feels like a total paradigm shift as if the world I experience now is not the world I have experienced before. I see things entirely different now.
ONE OF MY PROFESSORS ONCE SAID THAT SHE NEVER CHOSE HER PROFESSION, HER PROFESSION CHOSE HER. IS THAT TRUE FOR YOU AS WELL OR DID YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO DO WHAT YOU DO?
been written long before we came into this world. God has bestowed on us special gifts and talents that we should use to serve others. That is the ultimate purpose of life. In my story, I have never had any desire to become a lawyer. Even when I was admitted as an attorney I knew that it was not a profession I could see myself in however I learned what justice and human rights were and how law can be used as a tool for social, political and economic transformation and that helped me navigate many terrains. The Law expanded and deepened my perspective on the world. As a youngster I had very specific interests and that was politics and activism. I also had an interest in poetry and art. This was quite apparent in what I read and my ability to write. I have also been very good at public speaking at a very young age. These things came naturally for me. My life represents pieces of all of these things. I am yet to write a book but I am sure the spirit will lead me to that moment. The beauty of this journey is that everything that God has instilled in you will manifest on the outside at some point in time. I am happy to say that at the age of 36 I know who I am though I have no idea where the road will take me. I believe that my finest moment is beckoning.
WOULD YOU SAY THAT YOUR STUDY OF LAW HAS CHANGED OR AFFECTED YOUR OUTLOOK ON LIFE AND TO WHAT EXTEND?
It has deeply impacted me and not necessarily all for good reasons. What is law is not always justice. A good example was that Apartheid was legalised that did not mean that because it was law that it was just and fair. It destroyed millions of lives and livelihoods and we are still battling to dismantle it to this day and so there are many laws that was made with wicked intent and the work of lawyers, I believe, is not to defend that which is unjust. It also pains me that not all people have access to justice. The law is really for those that have money and that is a fundamental change in the system that must happen. When
I feel discouraged I often look at our Constitution and to those who fight valiantly to uphold it and feel encouraged to continue the good fight.
IN WHAT HAS BEEN KNOWN TO BE A MALE DOMINATED PROFESSION, HOW DID YOU OVERCOME HURDLES IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE IN THE WAY THAT YOU HAVE?
Most, if not all women in the legal profession deal with similar challenges. The biggest overarching challenge is gender inequality rooted in the system of patriarchy. The profession is still dominated by men who continue to earn more than women with the same experience and qualifications. Over the years I have always worked in spaces dominated by men and found that my experience, voice and knowledge were often undermined and disrespected by male colleagues even if they had to report to me. Disturbing trends amongst my male counterparts were their ability to out rightly reject my inputs and ideas but later present it as their own. For many years I have not been acknowledged or recognized for my contributions in the same way they would for doing far less. These toxic work spaces can become emotionally, spiritually and mentally abusive and without proper support can lead to depression. Over the years I have consistently invested in six things: courage, empathy, authenticity, discipline, integrity and knowledge. These are my strategies to thrive in my career and it is all you need to overcome any situation you are faced with.
HOW HAS YOUR FAITH PLAYED A ROLE IN HOW YOU APPROACHED THOSE HURDLES?
I believe that everything that happened to me, happened for me as orchestrated by God. Sometimes, when things are extremely difficult and I want to throw in the towel I am reminded of the fact that God has always brought me through all my adversities. Throughout my life there has been times where it could only have been because of God that I survived and therefore the older I get the more confident I become in my walk because He has proven is faithfulness to me over and over again. If He did it then, He would certainly do it again. In fact, the harder the battle, the bigger the victory and I have been a witness to that too.
HAVE YOU BEEN CONFRONTED WITH SITUATIONS WHERE YOUR FAITH AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS CLASH? IF SO, HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM?
Yes. Given the nature of the world today we are regularly faced with ethical dilemmas in all aspects of our human existence. Our job is to respond to these dilemmas with
wisdom and integrity. A lesson my mother taught me at a young age: “that which is done in darkness will always be brought to light” I have therefore very quickly learned to owe up to my mistakes instead of hiding it. Darkness makes you a prisoner. I have spoken out in situations where it was uncomfortable, possibly detrimental, to have done so, but I did. I would rather lose a job with my head held high then walk in shame and guilt.
HOW IMPORTANT HAS YOUR FAITH BECOME IN YOUR CHOSEN PROFESSION?
Faith is the driving force behind my profession. I know that what I am doing is what God wants me to do, so irrespective of the extreme highs and lows I may experience on this journey, I am comforted by the fact that He is with me and that whatever happens is part of His will for my life. As long as my intentions are sincere and honest there is no room for me to fear that things will not work out. The biggest thing that God did was make me wholly dependent on him. He has stripped me of any desire to seek for favour, opportunity or support from anyone because I am getting everything from my source. He made sure that whenever something great happens there will be no uncertainty that it was Him.
AS A CONSTITUTIONAL LAW EXPERT HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE CONFLICT BETWEEN EQUALITY AS CONTAINED AS PART OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS AND HIERARCHY AS CONTAINED IN THE BIBLE WHERE THE WOMAN IS REGARDED BELOW THE MAN AND PLACED IN A SPECIFIC GENDER ROLE IN SUBMISSION TO THE HUSBAND?
I am often confronted with this question and it is the easiest to answer because God created all human beings equal. God does not love the one more than the other. Men and women are equal in God’s eyes in that both were created in the image and likeness of God. Men and women are also equally sinners in need of grace and salvation. So if God placed us on an equal footing, who are WE as mere humans to draw that distinction and treat women as less than.... Nowhere does scripture imply that women are unequal to men in God’s eyes or that they should have less significance than men. I think it amounts to blasphemy to distort the real meaning of the bible to fit our own wicked intentions.
IF THERE IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU COULD OFFER ASPIRING YOUNG FEMALE LAWYERS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I would like to offer Joshua 1 v 9: “Have I not commanded you? Be Strong and Courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. The Lord your God is with you...” I value the virtue of courage. You will face many challenges but those challenges did not come to destroy you but to show you the way you should go. If you do not have courage it will limit how far you will go in life. Sometimes the most beautiful moments is hidden behind fear. In order to overcome fear you must have courage to walk through it. If you can cultivate this you will be able to stand firm in many battles knowing that you will be victorious in the end.
In a time where uncertainty is at the order of the day, it takes courage to take charge over an area of life that, if managed properly, can propel you to a future financial desired state.
T Harv Eker, author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind has the following to say about personal money management: “The single biggest difference between financial success and financial failure is how well you manage your money. It’s simple: to master money, you must manage money.”
Personal Financial Management is often described as the process of managing income and organizing expenses by working with a detailed financial plan. These are the first steps to financial freedom.
Financial freedom is not just a phrase, it surely is within reach of everyone who is prepared to let go of behaviors that no longer serve their future financial state. You can start your journey to financial freedom by adapting new habits which potentially will feed your future financial state. WHERE DO YOU BEGIN?
Personal financial management is built around 3 fundamental principles: • Awareness – This is the state of being fully conscious of your financial health. • Self-discipline – This is the number one trait needed to accomplish goals. • Practice – This will be the act of rehearsing a positive financial behaviour over and over, for the purpose of improving or mastering it.
AWARENESS
To be fully conscious of something, you would need to have the necessary knowledge of a topic, therefore should you wish to improve your understanding around personal financial management, you would need to read and learn about the key topics surrounding personal financial management: • Budget– A honestly compiled budget will give you a holistic overview of where you get your money and how it is spent. • Understanding your bank Account – Your bank account, if not managed properly can become a black hole of fees. Knowing how to make your account work for you is crucial to your own success. • Goal setting – Without vision, people perish. Even in your finances, this statement is true. Once you start recording your vision, seeing it will be the drive you need to i.e., follow your budget and making your bank account work for you
SELF-DISCIPLINE
Once budget has been set and you understand how your money flows and where you want to direct it to, your next step is self-discipline. The 3 C’s to effective Self-discipline are:
• Challenge
Challenge your own excuses. If you have drafted a budget and you are faced with an expense contrary to your budget and your goals, you need to challenge whether it is necessary and an actual need or just a well disguised, want.
• Choices
In the different seasons of your life, you have the power to choose how you spent your money. Your choice is totally dependent on where you are currently at and what is within your current sphere of financial influence. Choose wisely.
• Consistency
Being consistent in something good and beneficial is a most rewarding and powerful tool. The impact of your consistent financial behaviour might take time to reveal the fruit of your discipline however in time it always will. You might have made financial choices in the past that left long lasting effects, similarly your journey of financial health will take time to recover your finances to your desired state. It is never too late to start something new. PRACTICE
It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Similarly with managing your personal finances, you would have to practice diligently: • The habit of sticking to your personal budget. • The continuous progress tracking of your personal financial goals. • Upskilling your understanding of your banking accounts, the features & benefits and learning how your transactional behaviour can make your money work for you.
Continuous practice leads to you mastering your personal financial management and is the pull that can catapult you into your financial restoration.
Like all things in life that is taken care of, finances, if well regulated, has the potential to drastically influence our financial position and thus start a cycle of wealth creation that can potentially serve your future generation for generations to come. Whilst we cannot change our past, we do have it in our power to influence our future and it starts with making more informed choices regarding our finances. Start Today!
