In a speech at the first Conference of Mozambican women in 1973, the first president of Mozambique, President Samora Machel, said; "the liberation of women is a fundamental necessity for the revolution, the guarantee of its' continuity and the precondition of for its victory".
Our country has entered its sixteenth year of democratic rule, emerging from centuries of neglect and persecution of the majority. In these sixteen years, we have been able to register tremendous victories in our struggle to create a society characterised by prosperity, equality and democratic practice.
Occupying the centre stage of this struggle, in particular, has been our conscious and determined campaign to ensure that we collectively work at emancipating women. This campaign is not a nice-to-have campaign but a prerequisite for the unleashing of the growth potential that we now our country and her people possess.
For more than 300 years of subjugation, women in general and black women in particular, suffered the worst effects of oppression and neglect. Indeed, deliberate pieces of legislation ensured that women remained in the periphery of our society and only existed to serve men. But more alarmingly, women suffered double oppression as they were oppressed because of their race and also because of their gender.
However, the advances in science, humanities and the arts, have proven, beyond any shadow of doubt, the folly and the short-sightedness of policies and practices that seek to sideline women and only treat them as second class citizens. Indeed, even the so-called advanced countries have also woken up to the fact that the emancipation and empowerment of women is necessary for growth and development.
The liberation of women is a fundamental necessity for the revolution, the guarantee of it’s continuity and the pre-condition for its victory.
It is within this context that we express our gratitude at being part of this auspicious occasion where welcome, into the Port of Durban, the SA Agulhas, which had an all female crew in its cockpit.
From Mkabayi Ka Jama who played a critical role in the formation of the mighty Zulu nation, to Rosa Parks, who taught us the important lesson of refusing to tolerate injustices when she declined to give up her seat for a white passenger in a bus thereby starting the civil rights movement in the US, to Lillian Ngoyi, who, together with other luminaries, marched to the Union Buildings armed with nothing but the inextinguishable desire for freedom, to thousands of women in our country who toil hard every day seeking nothing but to put a plate of food in front of their families, women continue to be the bedrock on which our society is founded
That this is a first is not only a remarkable milestone but it feels us with inimitable pride.
It is a source of inspiration for it tells us that, despite the hurdles along the way, the empowerment and emancipation of women is not a pipe dream but a reality that is achievable.
The year 2010 has been a good year for our country. Not only did we host Africa’s first ever FIFA Soccer World Cup, but we did this with such aplomb that those who had doubted us, were left eating humble pie.
It is not every day that the President of FIFA gives a host nation a score of 99 percent for hosting the World Cup. Even today, we are still basking in the glory of our achievements.
However, just when we thought things could not get any better, the women of our country have again broken the world record by becoming the first ever women to crew an all-female crewed ship. Today, we can say with conviction that the so-called glass ceiling that existed for women in the maritime sector has been shattered beyond repairs. From today onwards, the sky is the limit for all women who have chosen the maritime sector as their field of endeavour.
The fact that Durban is Africa's busiest port and the largest container facility in southern Africa, while Richard's Bay is the world's largest bulk coal terminal, shows that it had been an anomaly for our country not to have more women seafarers. Hopefully, this initiative is a precursor to a period where we will see more and more women choosing the maritime sector as their sphere of operation.
Programme director, it is said that approximately 96 percent of the country's exports are conveyed by sea, and the seven commercial ports are the conduits for trade between South Africa and its southern African partners as well as hubs for traffic to and from Europe, Asia, the Americas and the east and west coasts of Africa.
This means that the maritime sector is at the heart of our trade. It, therefore, would be the height of folly to exclude women from the maritime sector because it is a widely accepted and proven fact that when women are given an opportunity, they normally make the best of that opportunity.
Programme director, this year was a watershed year in the involvement of women in maritime sector. The first African Women in Shipping Conference which was organised by the Women International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) took place in Nigeria in May.
In the course of the deliberations the following observations were made:
- Maritime sector is skewed towards men particularly in the top echelons
- He who controls the trade and transport, controls the resources of the world
- Increased participation of women in shipping and trade is in line with the targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The conference, resolved that for rapid development of Africa women should be given the opportunity to play key roles in the shipping industry. It also resolved that government should take deliberate policies to encourage the participation of women in the industry.
Programme director, we are heartened by the fact that our government has heeded this call by giving women in the maritime sector the opportunity to realise their dreams. As we have said, our province boasts Africa’s busiest port and the largest container terminal. Over and above this, we have the Dube Trade Port which boasts a cargo terminal, a cyber port and an agrizone. This is in pursuit of positioning ourselves as the logistics for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Programme director, we live in a world which is liable to constant change. As a developing country, we have to be at the cutting edge of innovation in order to remain relevant in a world that is changing by the day. In this scenario of rapid change, it is those who are able to imagine the future of their dreams who will emerge victorious.
As we said, one of our immediate goals as a province is to position KwaZulu-Natal as the logistics hub of the Southern African Region. For us, this is not only a dream, but we have invested billions of resources in the infrastructure in order to achieve this. We are constantly and consciously harnessing our competitive and our comparative advantages in order to ensure that our province becomes a truly global economic player.
As all of you are aware, KwaZulu-Natal boasts the second biggest manufacturing industry after Gauteng. But we strongly believe that KwaZulu-Natal can replace Gauteng as the province with the biggest manufacturing industry in the country in the near future.
KwaZulu-Natal is the only province in the country which has two ports, a spanking new airport with a cargo handling facility to boot and a multi modal transport system which is the envy of many developing countries. It is therefore our unyielding belief that KwaZulu-Natal is the future.
However, we are also aware that we can only achieve the dream of positioning the province in the global world of trade and commerce if we also harness the power of women.
Programme director, history has proven that any development that does not take into account the role that can be played by women is not sustainable. It is therefore our belief that women have a big role to play in this regard.
Programme director, a day like this is not a day for long speeches. It is a day where we should all collectively doff our hats off to the women who have made all of us proud today. Today’s accomplishment by these heroines is not only their personal victories, but should serve as an inspiration to all women.
As one author once said: a ship is safe in a habour but that is not what they are built for. If there is one lesson that we should learn from the accomplishment of our heroines it is that when the doors of opportunities for women are opened, women do not only set new standards but they push the boundaries of excellence and they remind us that there is nothing we cannot achieve if we stay true to our dreams.
I thank you.
Source: Department of Economic Development, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
