STRAAT-PRAAT / STREET-TALK
Atlantis is celebrating 50 years of existence in 2026. Impact News journalist, Monique Hansen asked four women what they hope the next 50 years will look like for women in our communities.
JORGINA HEUGH: Young people and women in Atlantis should grow up knowing that where they come from does not define where they can go. I want us to build a legacy of empowerment, where we invest back into our community, create an ecosystem of growth, support one another, and build a stronger local economy that creates opportunities for generations to come.
MITCHUM LEEMAN: We have so much potential, but potential needs to be nurtured. I hope we start watering the next generation through education, opportunities, mentorship, and support, so that they do not become products of their environment, but products of their potential. I want Atlantis to be known not only for its problems, but for the people who overcame them and changed the future of our community.
NIKITA SCOTT: As a young woman with disability, I hope that in the next 50 years we see more opportunities and acknowledgements for people with disabilities, for Atlantis to become a city that is disabled friendly, specifically bringing the Dial-a-ride service back and make more services available to us.
BERNELEE DE WET: I want to see young people, especially young women, stand in unity and serve the Lord. Young women who break boundaries, reach their full potential, and shatter the cycles of poverty, crime, and gangsterism in our community. Young women who can lift Atlantis internationally for all the right reasons. Those who do not allow themselves to become victims of their circumstances and empower each other.