24 August 2006
Gauteng Local Government MEC Qedani Dorothy Mahlangu has urged women in
local government to initiate programmes to uplift their lives and that of their
communities.
Speaking at the Women in Local Government Seminar at Carnival City, Brakpan
on Thursday, 24 August Mahlangu said women in local government be it
councillors, ward committee members and Community Development Workers (CDWs)
should equip themselves with the necessary knowledge in order to deliver better
services.
She said when women marched to the Union Buildings to deliver a petition in
1956, they were not only opposed to carrying identity documents but were
voicing their displeasure about the brutal state of apartheid.
"Most of us were not born when our mothers and grandmothers took the system
of apartheid head-on. Fifty-years ago, they marched to deliver a petition to
the then Prime Minister J Strijdom, who ran away.
"Fifty-years later, when we marched to the Union Buildings to deliver the
petition, our President, Thabo Mbeki, did not run away. He was there to accept
the memorandum. When they marched in 1956, they also demanded the right to
vote, the right to be elected in state bodies and the right be elected as
public representatives.
"Today, we have women miners, women in business, in leadership positions, in
academic institutions and as Cabinet Ministers and MECs. Women now receive
equal pay with their male counterparts unlike before when women were paid less
for the same work than men. Today we enjoy equal rights, such as buying
property and equal rights in marriage," she said.
Mahlangu urged women councillors to further their studies so that they could
be able to stand on their own when their terms of office came to an end. She
said it had been proven that when a woman gets an education, the entire society
benefits as women are the pillars of their families.
"Women who are active in the local government sphere must initiate
programmes to improve the level of literacy for the benefit of society. When
women are educated they tend to be more self-reliant, they become aware of
their reproductive rights and are able to negotiate safer sex with their
partners.
"It is therefore important that when women improve their skills, they become
actively involved in decision-making processes and thus contribute meaningfully
to the transformation of society. Genuine participation of women and women
empowerment means that women must become role models for their children,
especially girls.
"As councillors you must lead by example. The role models should not only be
television personalities. What if those television stars do not carry good
values and morals in society? Therefore, as councillors you must become role
models. When you fail to be re-elected you must not then sulk and refuse to
assist your successors and start asking why you were not elected," Mahlangu
said.
Various speakers presented seminar papers on women in local government.
Geraldine Mettler, the Director of Governance in the Department of Local
Government presented a paper entitled �Securing Women's Participation in Local
Government�; Susan Tolmay of Gender Links presented a paper on �Performance
Indicators for a Gender Sensitive and Empowering Municipality�; June Matlala of
Tshwane Metro Municipality delivered a paper on �A Reflection of Women's
Projects at a Local Level: A Case Study of Tshwane as the winner of the 2005
Most empowering municipality� and Sweerem Govender of Ekurhuleni Metro
delivered a paper on �Challenges and Strategies for Gender Mainstreaming and
Gender Responsive Budget.�
The Minister in the Presidency Dr Essop Pahad is scheduled to deliver a
keynote address in the evening at the launch of the Women in Local Government
Awards for 2007.
Enquiries:
Themba Sepotokele
Tel: (011) 355 5111
Cell: 082 490 9869
Issued by: Department of Local Government, Gauteng Provincial
Government
24 August 2006
Source: SAPA
