Peggy Nesta (Dorkin) Sharpley was known for her beauty both physically and emotionally as a young lady in the small Eastern Cape town of Tsolo where she was born in 1946. She was never afraid of work and somehow seemed to know that she was not born to be nominal or ordinary. To us Marson, Eveline, Lievershia and Gaster as her children, she was always a ray of exciting hope that lit up any situation or room even in the face of the most painful adversity.
She was not at all highly qualified academically, but what she possessed through her life’s journey and it’s hard knocks could never be limited by or caged in by any diploma or degree. This, notwithstanding the fact that she regarded education as an important, if not the most important key after faith in God, to a better life materially and socially. It is for this reason that she worked herself into an exhausted stupor to ensure we were educated.
Peggy Nesta’s love for her family and community knew no limitations and excuses because she always believed in the right for everyone to be cared for, loved and respected.
She loved trading. Most of our lives she worked her own business, managed businesses as large as wholesalers and also worked closely with Gaster and his wife, our sister in law, Lélanie. Peggy Nesta, our Mum had an electrifying laugh and laughter was truly a huge part of our lives with her. She could also be quite temperamental and excitable, especially if she felt she or those around her, especially her children, extended family and community were being done a disservice of any kind.
To us as her children and in particular as activist sons, our mother Peggy Nesta Sharpley was as revolutionary as we were. She possessed the kind of wisdom and strength that only God could give to a single parent and simplistic, but a smart working woman.
She possessed a unique versatility and could adapt to any situation in that she could rub shoulders with the rich and powerful and still remain grounded to interact with the lowly and downtrodden.
Sunday lunch at home with our Mum, Peggy Nesta, was a feast of note and all kinds of interesting personalities found themselves around our Sunday lunch table and there were 3 or 4 people including one young man who was simply easy to be overlooked, Mikey, but was so loved by our Mum and all of us.
She loved her Bible, prayer and going to church or mass.
One of the highly celebrated characteristics of our mother, Peggy Nesta was impeccable dressing. The lady wore the best of shoes that matched whatever outfit and dress. She was a snazzy dresser of note.
On discipline, all 4 of us knew our mother to be a disciplinarian in spite of any of us thinking we were grown up.
Our mother endured much against the apartheid Special Branch during our lifetime and at one stage she had to stare into our empty bedroom we shared and look at our clothes as her boys as though we had died when we found ourselves behind bars for our political activities in the fight for freedom. Her attitude, like all right-thinking, loving mothers was something like…DON’T MESS WITH MY CHILDREN!
Mummy was our hero. A true humanitarian and caregiver and a community activist who never ever discriminated against anyone and was very clear when it came to her political convictions and her walk with God.
For us to simply state that she loved us would be a travesty of justice that would lean almost on an untruth…we can boldly say, Mummy, Peggy Nesta Sharpley, lived for us as her children and for God as her Creator.
There is so much one can recount and write that it most definitely would make an interesting read punctuated by anecdotes. Her beauty journeyed with her into eternity and she still made heads turn even after having suffered a stroke.
As for our sisters, Mommy was their world she theirs. I think the most beautiful moment for her was watching her daughters, especially, walking down the aisle of matrimony with the first young gentlemen to whom they are both happily married to this day.
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glyph2020-05-27 08:49:062020-05-27 12:55:44Covid-19 Response