Josepha Raeymaekers or Zefa Raeymaekers (11 September 1922 – 9 January 2017) was a Belgian journalist, poet and politician of the CVP.

Biography

She was born on 11 September 1922 in

Retie Retie (; french: Réthy, ) is a municipality located in the Campine region of the province of Antwerp, Belgium. The municipality comprises the town of Retie proper and several hamlets of which Schoonbroek is the largest. In 2021, Retie had a total ...

, Belgium. After attending a vocational school for cutting and seaming, she attended the literary regency and higher art education

typography Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), and ...

"Plantin". She became a home teacher and freelance journalist for the

BRT BRT may refer to: Transportation * Block register territory, a method for dispatching trains * British Rail Telecommunications * Brookhaven Rail Terminal * Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, a former transit holding company in New York City * Bro ...

, among others, and then a professional journalist for the ''

Gazet van Antwerpen The ''Gazet van Antwerpen'' (Antwerp Gazette, popularly named ''De Frut'', "sour head cheese") is a Belgian newspaper in Antwerp and Flanders, published by Concentra. History and profile ''Gazet van Antwerpen'' was established in 1891. Its edit ...

''. She was the first woman to be professionally recognized as a freelance journalist in Flanders. She was also a poet under the pseudonym Rita Reene. In this capacity she wrote, among other things, a well-known Christmas song that was harmonized by .Zefa Raeymaekers en Jos Bruurs
(pp.16-17); De Hoogstraatse Maand; March 2012 From 1971 to 1982 she was a councilor for the CVP in

Vosselaar Vosselaar () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Vosselaar proper. In 2021, Vosselaar had a total population of 11,443. The total area is 11.85 km2. There are three paris ...

. From 1977 to 1981 she was a provincial senator for the

Antwerp Province ) , native_name_lang = nl , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Antwerp.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van de provincie Antwerpen.svg , shield_size ...

in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and from 1981 to 1987 in the Chamber of Representatives for the

Turnhout Turnhout () is a Belgium, Belgian Municipalities in Belgium, municipality and city located in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. ...

district. From May 1977 to October 1980, as a result of the then existing dual mandate, she also sat on the . From 21 October 1980 to December 1987, she was a member of the

Flemish Council The Flemish Parliament (Dutch language, Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislature, legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic reg ...

. She was known for her commitment to nature conservation in the

Campine The Campine ( French ) or De Kempen (Dutch ) is a natural region situated chiefly in north-eastern Belgium and parts of the south-eastern Netherlands which once consisted mainly of extensive moors, tracts of sandy heath, and wetlands. It encom ...

and the pursuit of more democracy at local administrative level there. In 2012, she was made an honorary citizen of

Hoogstraten Hoogstraten () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises Hoogstraten, Meer, Meerle, Meersel-Dreef, Minderhout and Wortel (Meersel-Dreef includes the northernmost point in Belgium). Hoogstraten (o ...

, in gratitude for having ensured that from 1985 this municipality may use the more prestigious title city. She spent the last years of her life in a residential care center in

Dessel Dessel () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the town of Dessel proper. In 2021, Dessel had a total population of 9,659 inhabitants. The total area is 27.03 km². Nuclear industries ...

.Zefa Raeymaekers overleden

Het Nieuwsblad ''Het Nieuwsblad'' (; en, The Newspaper) is a Flemish newspaper that mainly focusses on "a broad view" regarding politics, culture, economics, lifestyle, society and sports. History and profile In 1929, ''Het Nieuwsblad'' was published by ...

; 12 January 2017 She entered into her first marriage in 1960 to Paul De Loore (1931-1986) with whom she had four children. In 2002 she entered into her second marriage with Gustaaf Vos (1921-2006).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raeymaekers, Zefa 1922 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Belgian journalists 20th-century Belgian politicians 21st-century Belgian politicians 20th-century Belgian poets 21st-century Belgian poets People from Retie