Programme Director,
Mong-Mabu Kgoshi Boleu Rammupudu
Members of the Executive Council,
Members of the Legislature
Executive Mayor of Sekhukhune District Municipality, Cllr. David Magabe
Mayor of Elias Motswaledi Local Municipality, Cllr. Julia Mathebe
All Councillors present today,
Representatives of Women’s Organisations,
Leaders of various political parties
Ladies and gentlemen:
Thobela, Avuxeni, Ndaa!
It gives me special pleasure to extend my warmest greetings to all the women of our country, in particular the beautiful women of Limpopo. Today is indeed a special day of remembrance, celebrations and reflections.
Let me start-off by extending congratulatory remarks to the Thursday winners of the Limpopo Female Farmer of the Year Awards.
It is indeed inspiring that women are standing-up and doing it for themselves. Your hard work is really changing the face of the once male dominated sector. We are confident that you will bring back the National Award when they are held in Mmabatho in the next two weeks. Indeed it is not by mistake that women dominate the food sector industry. Today, we are reminded of the extraordinary courage and sacrifices of the Women Generations before you. The bravery and selflessness of the 1956 Women Generation should remind us that there is no power greater than human determination to be free.
We are celebrating this year’s women’s day under the theme: “Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Women’s Charter and 20 Years of Freedom: Together Moving A Non-Racial, Non-Sexist South Africa Forward”
This theme therefore reminds us that this year also marks the 60th anniversary of the 1954 Women’s Charter. Just as the Freedom Charter did, the Women’ Charter visualised a society free from national oppression, a society free from women exploitation and indeed a society of equal rights between men and women. In particular, the Women’s Charter affirmed the commitment of women to strive for the removal of all laws that discriminated against women.
Through the Women’s Charter, South African women committed themselves to fight against the deprivation of their inherent right to freedom and equal opportunities.
We are also reminded by the theme of the day that our celebrations are taking place as the country continues with the celebrations of the 20 years of democracy and freedom. This is the freedom that many women sacrificed their family time and other luxuries fighting to achieve.
I speak here of gallant and selfless fighters such as; Rahima Moosa, Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Sophie Williams and many others. We owe a lot to this generation of women leaders; the least we can do to honour their sacrifices is to move South Africa to a non-racial and non-sexist future. These women were prepared to die so that you could have equal rights with men in relation to property, marriage and bodily integrity. They marched so that you could no longer be restricted by draconian legislation and repressive policies in realising your full potential. They were prepared face the gallows so that you could live a life free of harassment, marginalisation and gender based discrimination. They said no to apartheid, so that you can say yes to a world of opportunities and a better life. They struggled so that, together we can move South Africa to a non-racial and non-sexist future.
Programme director;
We have achieved a lot in the past 20 years when it comes to creating opportunities and bettering the lives of women.
Our ANC government has put in place sufficient legislative and institutional mechanism to promote and advance the rights and interests of women.
Part of the legislative framework that our government has put in place includes:
- the Employment Equity Act,
- the Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 2000
- the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment and
- the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act
Programme director;
I know that there are those amongst ourselves who are beginning to speak with amplified tongues and borrowed confidence that, it is time we phased out our affirmative action policies.
There are two types of people who are saying that we should phase-out our affirmative action policy; the first is those who have benefitted from deplorable policies of the apartheid government which have suppressed women in general and Black women in particular.
The second category of people who say that we must phase out affirmative action are those who do not appreciate the fact that they have achieved what they have achieve because of the very policies they publicly criticise.
These people are saying to us that now that we are all free, we must all compete from an equal footing. This argument seems legitimate but it is fundamentally faulty.
This flawed argument says that we must allow a race between two horses, with one horse billions of miles away from the finish line and the other horse just an inch away from the finish line.
They say that, now that both these horses are unchained they both have an equal chance to the finish line. This is clearly a low grade lie; it is aimed at preserving the apartheid privileges that have marginalised women and Black women in particular.
The truth of the matter is that apartheid itself was a form of affirmative action for White South Africans, benefiting White men in their majority.
Programme director;
- For our part, the battle is far from being complete. We will not rest until the total socio-economic liberation of women.
- Our battle is far from complete for as long as some of our girl children are still forced by poverty to bear the indignity of life without decent sanitary towels;
- Our battle is far from complete for as long as women and girl children continue to become victims of abusive cultural practices;
- Our battle is far from complete for as long as boardrooms in the private sector remain White and male dominated;
- Our battle is far from complete for as long as men requires court orders for them to maintain their wives and children;
- We cannot rest, for as long as wives continue to suffer economic abuse in the hands of those who are supposed to love them;
- The battles continues against the rapes, the mutilation and killing of women and children
In this regard I want to extent my appreciations to our police for their swift actions that resulted in the arrest of a suspected serial killer around the University of Venda.
We are hopeful that this arrest will bring an end to a very dreadful episode for the people of Golgotha and the university community.
We simply cannot allow a situation where women and children walk fear of rape and death because of rampant criminals. In the same spirit, we still demand the immediate and safe release of the hundreds of our school girls abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria.
South African women must use the activities of this month to intensify the Bring Back Our Girls Campaign. We can never enjoy a beautiful sleep for as long as these innocent girls remain abducted.
Programme director;
In the coming five years, we will focus most of our attention and resources to:
- Expand economic opportunities for women
- Ensure more women in decision making structures;
- Invest in the education of women, particular a girl child and;
- Improve the general health of women, including maternal
Programme director;
Allow me in conclusion to take this opportunity and say; Happy Women’s Day to all women of our country!
Wathint' Abafazi Wathint' imbokodo!
I thank you!
