Fidelis Vox helps our clients with the transfer to and preservation of their wealth in future generations. In this process, we recognise and embrace the crucial role of women in securing the family legacy. In the spirit of Women’s Month, we pay homage to generations of women who, against overwhelming odds and often in the face of prejudice, have fought to look after their families, to make a difference in the workplace and in society, and to benefit our country and our planet.
On 9 August 1956, more than 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa, in protest against proposed amendments to the ‘pass laws’. Their song of protest, ‘you strike a women, you strike a rock’, has come to represent women’s courage and strength in South Africa. We will once again celebrate Women’s Day this month, by celebrating women’s rights to equality in our beautiful country, South Africa.
Closer to home and hearth, we pay tribute to the resilient and brave South African women who get up in the early hours of the morning to travel to work to provide for their families, only to return after dark, sometimes just in time to kiss their little ones good night and to tuck them into bed.
We celebrate the South African women who do anti-poaching work to help protect our wildlife as a legacy to our children, and who patrol roads in our reserves on foot under a full moon with predators lurking in the dark shadows. Other South African women sit up in a paddock at night with the sleeping head of a traumatized baby rhino orphan on their laps, feeding it with a larger than usual milk bottle every two hours through the night.
We salute the South African women who juggle a daytime career, a home, as well as one or more after hours and weekend jobs to make ends meet as a single parent. We admire the South African women who stand by their children who are sick, in jail, or ostracized by society– the women who are raising and instilling their values into the next generation of South Africans, who are supporting the education of young students, who, if they are not entrepreneurs themselves, are the supportive partners of entrepreneurs and business leaders. We celebrate South African women who work tirelessly for charities in South Africa by giving their time, skills or financial resources, including amongst many other objectives to secure the rights of our children to receive education or to be able to read a book.
Coincidentally, we celebrate World Elephant Day on 12 August, a day created in 2012 to increase awareness and protection of these magnificent animals. The matriarchs lead the herds, and in the process teach the elephant calves how to survive and behave in the wild. The young elephants look to the matriarchs for advice and their knowledge is passed down from generation to generation.
In the human race, it is also often the matriarch who keeps the family together. She is often the one who ensures that the family values and traditions are entrenched and then passed on to the next generation, and that the family objectives are met from a social and philanthropic point of view. She is often the emotional leader of the family; often the driving force in resolving disputes amongst family members.
Fidelis Vox works alongside you, our clients, to protect your family legacy. We help families to successfully transfer their legacy to next generations, and in doing so, we recognise and embrace the role of the women in our client families. We invite you to join us on this journey as we walk alongside you and your family.
This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your legal adviser for specific and detailed advice. Errors and omissions excepted (E&OE)