Programme Director
Esteemed members and friends of the club
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen.
Allow me to express our warmest gratitude for the invitation. We're honoured to interact with culturally diverse members and friends of the American International Club of Rome. March is a most timely month for the conference on women and gender struggles.
The day after tomorrow, the world will turns its gaze towards the history and achievements of struggles for women's emancipation, empowerment and gender equality. The momentous occasion, as you well know, is the commemoration of International Women's Day on 8 March.
Thank you for observing that moment by way of this exchange. The Club of Rome prides itself for providing a 'home-base' for people from different countries and nationalities, since 1953, together to share the best of Rome and other cultures from around the world. This inclusive culture makes us feel genuinely at home away from home. Our country, whose historical experiences we must share, is a product of international solidarity.
International support, across cultures and ideologies, greatly enriched the liberation struggle against oppressive reality and against the discriminatory system of apartheid. Unity and struggle have placed South Africa on a trajectory of democracy such that we’re enabled, with the rest of the world, to up our focus on the longest revolution revolution of women.
South Africa's motto that is inscribed indelibly on the nation's Coat of Arms serves as a constant reminder of what we can achieve as the human race, united in our diversity. It says: "diverse people unite."
As you have done in another context for the last 59 years since the inauguration of the Club, South Africa's Coat of Arms calls for the promotion and celebration of diversity authentically to create a culture of peace, cooperation, unity and fellow-feeling.
Congratulations to the club on your 59th anniversary. For South Africa, this year is also important as it marks the centenary of Africa's oldest liberation organisation and current ruling party of South Africa the African National Congress (ANC).
A fundamental aspect of South Africa's celebration of 100 years of selfless struggle for a society that is enriched by infinite riches of diversity, is the celebration of achievements of women under very difficult circumstances. And this we do under a changed and changing climate of tolerance and progress. In 2010, South Africa ranked number 49 out of the 102 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries on the Social Institutions and Gender Index. It was number 3 in Africa.
Women in South Africa have always been at the forefront of the liberation struggle and they are still at the forefront of the continuing struggle for economic emancipation and empowerment for all persons, regardless of race and gender.
As early as 1913, South African women, under the leadership of Charlotte Maxeke, led the fight against the oppression and exploitation of women. They protested against discriminatory laws that restricted free movement of Africans like the pass laws whose rejection triggered the massacre in Sharpeville in 1960. Their struggles led to the formation and recognition by the ANC of the ANC Women's League in 1948.
Every year, after International Women's Day, South Africa observes national Women's Day on 9 August, which has been declared a national holiday, by the democratic government. It is a milestone in the women's struggle for a better gender deal.
On 9 August 1956, thousands of black and white women marched to the seat of the repressive apartheid government - Union Buildings – to demand equal rights for all South Africans.
The significance of the women's march is that it exposed the disempowering myth of women as politically inept, immature and tied to the home like a dishcloth to the kitchen.
The demands of women for equality are contained in the post-apartheid Constitution of 1996 which went a long way to guarantee women's rights. Achievements of women, and how they have done so, are best understood within this broader context of struggles for a better Africa and a better world. For indeed had it not been of the transformation process, we would not have carried the empowerment and success of women to such greater heights.
Our approach to the gender question has always been located within the national question in South Africa whose objective has always been to unite all South Africans to build a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society. We knew it was only in that way that all people in our country would freely relate to the rest of humanity, across the globe, beyond artificial boundaries and man-made manacles.
The theory and practice of the women and gender struggle as it had applied to South Africa, was articulated by the ANC president of the tough exile period, Oliver Reginald Tambo.
In September 1981, at one of the ANC women's conferences, in Luanda, the capital city of Angola, OR Tambo said: "The mobilisation of women is the task not only of women alone, or of men alone, but of all of us, men and women alike. There is no way in which women in general can liberate themselves without fighting to end the exploitation of man by man."
In spite of the perspective of the popular women's movement we had adopted vis-à-vis the perspective of the feminist movement, we were conscious of "the problems inherent in the widespread practice of assuming the existence of common interests, ideologies, politics, and experiences". We knew that "identities are a contested terrain" (Marxism and Class, Gender and Race, 2001).
Ladies and gentlemen, international Women's Day has been observed globally, by men and women, since the early 1900s. This day obliges all of us to commemorate the 1910 decision of women to confront patriarchy, traditionalism and social exclusion.
Over 100 years later women are still not out of the trenches of struggle for justice, equality and human rights. That is why we're here talking about women and gender struggles and together sharing women's achievements.
I'm glad that South Africa's ambassador to Italy, Ambassodor Thenjiwe Mtintso, is here with us. In an article on Women's Day, she has revealed the extent to which the quality of life of women has changed since 1994.
"Not only has the ANC and its government opened democratic spaces in society for the participation of women in all spheres of life and for the creation of real democracy and a non-patriarchal society, but it has also led the same campaign in [the Southern African] region and the [African] continent.
"The ANC government played a critical role in the adoption of the Southern African Development Cooperation (SADC) Gender Protocol with its programme for gender equality and the commitment of the not less than 50% quota for women in all decision-making structures in SADC countries by 2015."
The country has welcomed the declaration of 2010 to 2020, by Africa's Heads of State and Government, as the African Women's Decade. We draw strength from the African Charter for Human and People's Rights which stipulates that:
"The state shall ensure the elimination of every discrimination against women and also ensure the protection of the rights of the woman and the child as stipulated in international declarations and conventions."
South Africa's progressive legislative framework is aligned to the international system and instruments for promoting human rights of women, including the Beijing Platform for Action and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Since the first democratic elections of 1994, South Africa, with women in the forefront, has created a conducive climate and new terrain for women to make a success of their lives, in the best interest of the whole of society.
It is through selfless and noble efforts of women in the struggle that today we speak of successful women and a positive environment for cultivating a gendered development approach, with women in the forefront, defining their destiny and identity.
The advent of democracy has set in motion a liberatory process of extending choices and opportunities for women. It has provided the necessary foundation and springboard for women to access public services, social security in the form of pro-poor grants, education, top positions in government and the private sector and active participation and ownership in business.
In 2010, more females than males were enrolled in tertiary institutions, at 56.4%. The South African Schools Act of 1996 has provided a framework to advance the democratic transformation of society, combat racism and sexism andall forms of unfair discrimination and intolerance.
Three years ahead of the 2015 target for Millennium Development Goals, we are set to realise universal access to primary education. We remain concerned about the country's performance in mathematics and physical science, particularly given the specialised and technical skills needed for the drive towards industrialisation, economic growth and sustainable job creation.
We have prioritised increasing the number of girl-learners who take mathematics and science at school. Projects include the Girls Education Movement and Techno-Girl that are intended to encourage girls to study math, science and technology.
We plan to build two new universities to help meet increased demand for higher education. We currently have 17 public universities and 6 institutes of technology. Education has a tremendous multiplier effect that brings lasting benefits to individuals and communities.
In a nutshell, going-forward, we will be looking at improving the general education system, intensifying education in mathematics and natural sciences, promoting social sciences, expanding the nation's artisanship base, improving throughput and research in universities and advancing adult education (ANC Strategy and Tactics 2007).
From this year, we're embarking on a massive infrastructure development programme, whichdemands high-tech skills and cutting-edge technology. Our skills shortage was evident during the infrastructure drive that came with South Africa's hosting of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) Soccer World Cup in 2010 wherein a considerable number of engineers had to be imported into the country.
South Africa is implementing gender-sensitive policies, affirmative action and 50/50 gender parity. 43% of Cabinet ministers are women, with 44% inParliament. Progressive laws include the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, Employment Equity Act, Domestic Violence Act, Sexual Offences Act and the Civil Union Act.
By 2009, the country was in the 6th best position in the Global Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum. It had made significant improvements in female labour force participation (ipsnews.net).
A critical priority we're focusing on is the Gender Equality Bill. It is to be tabled in Parliament before the end of the year. Once it becomes law, it will help us to speed-up 50/50 parity in the public and private sectors.
We are intensifying the campaign to support women to start up businesses and grow existing ones, as well as ensuring women farmers are affirmed and supported through land acquisition, equipment and skills.
Among other things, we would multiply the number of successful women were we to get financing institutions, like the World Bank, to make funding available for women empowerment programmes in the country. We are considering specific training programmes to fast-track the employment of women.
We are strengthening measures to deal with violence against women, including law reform on bail, sentencing, victim empowerment, legal literacy, and extending access to the courts. These are some of the critical pillars for ending violence against women.
We are going to argue at the upcoming national policy conference of the ruling party, in June, that 'poverty has a woman's face'. Global prosperity and peace will only be achieved once all the world’s people are empowered to order their own lives and to provide for themselves and their families.
In Asia, Latin America and Africa, where women have been given the chance to succeed through increased educational opportunities, families are found to be much stronger, economies are growing, and societies are indeed flourishing.
Community participation is vital in everything we do. For this reason, we have noted with appreciation the involvement of the American International Club of Rome in community activities.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me to restate a statement from Amb Thenjiwe Mtintso on why Africa is advancing phenomenally in the struggle for substantive gender equality. She said in an interview:
“This is our time. South Africa and Africa in general can avoid repeating the mistakes other countries have done because we learn from others’ experiences” (IPS news, 2009):
That's why we're here. I really thank you for providing this warm home-base for us in Rome, our home away from home.
Grazie!
