Minister of Transport Ms Sindisiwe Chikunga, MP on the occasion of the Re-launch of Women in the Maritime sector in Eastern and Southern Africa (WOMESA) held at Southern Sun Hotel, Gqeberha
In this world nothing is absolute. Almost everything changes, moves, evolves and revolves, even the hardest male dominated sectors and industries will one day open up by force or design to the persistent collective force of determined women who want to see change.
Allow me to appreciate your presence at this Re-Launch of Women in Maritime, the South African and Eastern Chapter (WOMESA). Your presence today truly attests to a very deliberate agenda of women emancipation especially in sectors and industries historically classified as male dominated like the Transport sector in general and the maritime sector in particular.
It thus gives me immense pleasure and appreciation that women liberation and emancipation interventions, keep on finding expression, especially in the transport sector, in this case, the primary focus being the maritime sector.
History of women empowerment
I am glad that out of their own volition, professional women in maritime saw the need to revive a strategic structure such WOMESA in South Africa.
In other countries, WOMESA has been a vibrant transformation vehicle for professional women in maritime. Likewise, it must serve the same purpose in South Africa by being a game changer and an enabler for girl-children to get informed, educated and recruited into the various professions in the maritime space.
I will be amiss if I do not shortly re-count the journey that our forebears fought, and made it possible for us to stand in platforms, such as today, freely launching women focused socio- economic emancipation structures.
South Africa’s struggle credentials against all forms of discrimination towards human beings, especially women, is well documented.
Black women in general and African women in particular suffered the triple oppression of race, gender and class/culture under colonialism and apartheid rule and were regarded as minors by the Black Administration Act of 1927, and placed under the tutelage of their husbands.
Historical initiatives for women emancipation through social movements such as Bantu’ Women’s league were formed around 1913, under the stewardship of the Late Mme Charlotte Maxheke, who was a professional scientist and a leader in her own right.
The establishment of this movement led to the drafting of the Women’s Rights Charter of 1954 under the auspices of the Founding Conference of the Federation of South African Women. It was in 1955 when the Freedom Charter was adopted, followed by the historical Women’s March of 1956.
The formation of these structures and their plan of action culminated to the famous historic Women’s March in 1956, where 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the bastion of apartheid.
It also laid a firm foundation to continue the struggle for women’s emancipation in the context, and, as a pillar of the liberation struggle against colonialism, racism and apartheid.
The standards set by the Women of 1954 and those before them, are now a set of historic recorded milestones which we see now put in place by the democratic Government led by the African National Congress through legislation, policies, frameworks, plans, programmes and action plans to actualize the emancipation of women.
As the Transport sector we have organisations such as the South African Network of Women in Transport (SANWIT) established for the main purpose of ensuring women emancipation within and among the various sub-sectors of Transport.
One of the important objectives of SANWIT is for the structure to add to the body of knowledge and guide best practices through research and innovation. And, such a feat can be achieved through the existence of structures such a WOMESA under the umbrella of SANWIT.
SANWIT is that vehicle, which encompasses women from all modes of transport that is aviation rail and road, maritime and public transport. An these include both professionals and women owned-businesses.
It was in August 2015, where women in the transport sector, business and professionals alike, adopted the 2015 Gauteng SANWIT Declaration and Platform for Action at the Summit held in Boksburg.
The Women in Transport said and I quote: We declare that:
- We are determined to advance the goals of equality, development and progression for all women in South Africa’s Transport Sector in the interest of economic development and women emancipation;
- We dedicate ourselves unreservedly to addressing these constraints and obstacles and thus enhancing further the advancement and empowerment of women in the South African Transport Sector, and agree that this requires urgent action in the spirit of determination, hope, cooperation and solidarity, now and to carry us forward into the next century.
We re-affirm our commitment to:
- Build a women-centered, inclusive and development- orientated Transport Sector, were women can work towards achieving their full potential, sustainable development and improving their quality of life as premised in the South African Freedom Charter and Women’s Rights Charter.
- To curb the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment which continue to affect the many people as enshrined in The National Development Plan (NDP) which aims to eradicate poverty, increase employment and reduce inequality by 2030.
We are convinced that:
- Women’s empowerment and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of the Transport Sector, including participation in the decision-making process and access to power, are fundamental for the achievement of empowerment, development and progression.
We are determined to:
- Ensure women’s equal access to economic resources, including land, credit, science and technology, vocational training, information, communication and markets, as a means to further the advancement and empowerment of women in the Transport Sector, including through the enhancement of their capacities to enjoy the benefits of equal access to these resources, inter alia, by means of national cooperation; close quote.”
The Role Of The International Maritime Organization In The Emancipation Of Women
Esteemed delegates,
It’s also important to note that South Africa as a progressive nation, we are signatory to various international instruments and organizations which promote, advocate and work hard to ensure that women are recognized and can participate in the developmental agenda on issues which affect us as women including issues that we are going to discuss here today.
As the National Development Plan, Vision 2030 highlights that the advancement of women participation is not only the responsibility of the State, but other international multilateral organizations like the United Nations, which also need to advance the same agenda. To this end the IMO, which South Africa and many other African States are members of, has facilitated the creation of professional networks to improve gender balance in the maritime transport fraternity and shipping industry.
In addition to the promotion of gender equality in the maritime industry, the organization seeks to provide a platform for women to network, share experiences and knowledge, and to promote gender diversity in the industry. Some of WOMESA's key activities include mentorship programs, skills development and training, networking events, and advocacy for greater representation of women in decision-making positions in the maritime sector.
A Research study conducted by the IMO and WISTA International, on maritime companies and IMO Member States’ maritime authorities in 2021, it indicated that, women make up 34% of the workforce in the ship owning companies sampled, while maritime associations have 16% representation of women. In departments of state and authorities such as the national maritime authority, customs, border control, or representatives to the IMO, women make up around 20% of the workforce.
I am equally pleased to learn that the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) has more than fifty percent of women executives.
Another interesting report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) showed that increasing the number of women in top management could mean notable economic improvement – for instance, it was discovered that countries with low gender equality if they could improve their equality ratings, this would results’ in their economies growing by an average of 35%.
We are thus, pleased that under the leadership of the IMO, 8 Women in Maritime Associations (WIMAs) have been established across Africa, the Gulf region, Asia, the Caribbean,
Latin America and the Pacific, covering some 152 countries and dependent territories.
According to the IMO, each regional network has established national chapters which have delivered programmes that are advancing the transformation of the maritime industry, showcasing developments that highlight the importance of mainstreaming women participation in the industry and facilitating the technical and socio-economic issues pertaining to women development. We do believe that these associations can go a long way towards bridging the gap in narrowing some of the institutional barriers and cultural stigma facing women who enter the maritime industry.
What is WOMESA?
Programme Director and delegates on the virtual platforms; WOMESA was founded as part of the IMO’s interventions to create a conducive environment for professional women in maritime (WOMESA), and it is still a programme under the stewardship of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The founding members of WOMESA are drawn from countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa namely Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Mozambique,
South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Angola, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Swaziland, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, DRC, Comoros, and Kenya. The WOMESA Strategic Plan 2008- 2013 called for formation of National Chapters and this was only achieved by South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia and Mauritius.
It is unfortunate that the South African Chapter of WOMESA has not been active. It is for that reason that today we are gathered here to give it a new lease of life and encourage members to take advantage of the abundant opportunities.
The non-participation of the South African Chapter has left a vacuum in terms of accessing benefits from the IMO and other supporting partners who are concerned about the advancement and treatment of women within the sector.
I believe that in the case of WOMESA, function must follow structure. Therefore, before we elect the new structure, we must identify failures that led to the collapse and in-activity of the South African Chapter. That must be followed by corrective action which seek to ensure a firm establishment and institutionalization of the structure. Thirdly, there should be a very concise thoroughly thought-through Programme of Action, which is explicit on deliverable targets, with specific time frames.
When that is accomplished, we need to then, ask ourselves a pertinent question of who amongst ourselves are capable to drive the implementation of the programme of action.
We must guard against, electing people on the basis of popularity, but substance. Equally, the elected persons have a responsibility to only accept nomination and appointment, if one is absolutely sure of her capacity and commitment to that cause.
The most critical aspect is that we need and deserve a WOMESA that will emulate the heroines of the likes of Mme Charlotte Maxeke. Professionals determined to be change agents, and game changers, with a solid strategy in advancing women development to inform socio-economic trajectory in our country and the world. A governing structure committed to ensure the active longevity of WOMESA in our time and beyond.
By re-launching WOMESA, as South Africa we are taking a proactive step in promoting gender equality and protecting the rights of female workers in the maritime sector by providing a platform for women to advocate for their rights and share their experiences.
And we believe that the re-launch of WOMESA will strengthen the contribution of professional women in maritime under the banner of SANWIT.
To WOMESA Governing Structure and members
- We expect WOMESA to work with various stakeholders in the maritime industry, including government, private sector, and academic institutions, to create opportunities for women in the sector.
- As WOMESA, you must establish, participate in, and run various programs and initiatives aimed at supporting women's professional development and creating awareness of gender issues in the industry.
- Use your WOMESA membership in the IMO's Women in Maritime Program diligently. Appreciate the opportunity of access to resources and support from other international bodies by unlocking doors of learning, mentorship, career- pathing for the youth in maritime as well as enrich your research knowledge repository.
- Give WOMESA a stronger voice in advocating for women's rights and empowerment in this male-dominated industry.
We take the strides today towards ensuring WOMESA becomes a vibrant platform for women, we pledge our commitment to working with the leadership structure to ensure that what we agree to translate decisions and recommendations to tangible action. We urge the leadership structure that will be elected into office to finalise and share with us their priorities for the year, while ensuring that the gaps that led to the collapse of the founding structure are addressed and WOMESA is on solid ground this time around. Its role and mandate are extremely important if we are to make a meaningful impact in the livelihoods of women in the sector, the girl child and many of our young people who look into the oceans economy for opportunities towards a better life.
The re-launch of WOMESA – South African Chapter also sends a clear message that South Africa is committed to advancing gender equality in the maritime sector and stands ready to work with other stakeholders to promote fair and equal opportunities for all workers in the industry. Ultimately, this can help to make the maritime sector a more inclusive and diverse industry and drive greater innovation and competitiveness in the global market.
I thank you.
