Programme Director
Deputy Minister of Human Settlement, Mrs Zou Kota-Fredericks
Deputy Minister of the Department of International
Relations and Coordination, Mr Marias Fransman
SAWIC President, Ms Phakade
Deputy Director General of Human Settlement,
Ms Matlatsi
Ladies and Gentlemen
This gathering tonight affords us a very welcome opportunity to remember and reflect on the role played by many heroines in bringing about the democratic South Africa. The issue of housing in this country is very central to the struggles that women find themselves in, and it is also central in the social and economic advancement of women. Ever since the beginning of time, women in this country have been battling with the devastating effects of lack of proper housing for themselves and their families.
I have heard the opportunity to hear directly from women, about the daily hardships they are facing as a result of the lack of shelter. In 2011 in May, I attended the national rural women’s summit in Tzaneen, Limpopo, where more than 300 women gathered from all provinces. As they spoke out during the summit about their challenges, the issue of lack of housing for families came out prominently.
When a family lacks proper housing to an extent that privacy is compromised, it is a sign that the situation is dire and needs quick intervention. This is exactly one of the things that the past heroines of our struggle fought for. When they presented their memorandum to government authorities at the Union Buildings, one of their demands was that of justice and dignity. Dignity is a right that no one can afford to lose, and must be given back to those women of our society who have lost it.
We are doing that through our efforts to coordinate other government departments to help us achieve our mainstreaming targets. The task of empowering women needs a multi-faceted approach with all stakeholders playing their roles. Government departments are important stakeholders in this regard, and it is through their efforts and contribution that we are going to realise our objectives.
We are working together with the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, to facilitate women’s access to land. This is because the challenges of rural development, food security and land reform affect women disproportionately. Also, the issue of land is linked to all aspects of the economic empowerment of women, because without land, women will not get proper housing. Without land, women will not be able to start agricultural and other economically sustainable projects in their respective communities.
In the memorandum of understanding (MOU) we have signed with the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, women have been made to be a priority in as far as land redistribution is concerned. As a Department, this coming Saturday on the 25th of August 2012, we are also going to launch the National Council against Gender Based Violence in Gauteng.
We expect to sign another MOU with the Ministry of Police. We have completed other MOUs that we still need to enter into with the Departments of Social Development and Justice and Constitutional Development.
Ladies and Gentlemen, in addition to these efforts, I am pleased to announce that the Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill that we have been working on will be tabled before Cabinet during the 2012/13 financial year. This Bill seeks to ensure that the empowerment of women is enforced without discrimination in both the public and private sectors. We are liberating women in all sectors and from all approaches.
We know that as much it is our objective and desire to see our previously disadvantaged women moving into houses and settling in decent accommodation with their families, it is also our desire to see our women begin able to get land and open cooperatives and other businesses to sustain themselves. It is our desire to see our women begin able to move up the ladder into influential positions both in the private sector as well as government institutions.
For us as the Ministry, the month of August is not the only time when we rise to the challenges affecting women. We are fighting this battle 365 days a year, and everybody else joins us in the month of August. And we appreciate that and welcome all the support we can get.
As the Department of Human Settlement took a decision to celebrate women from all walks of life and celebrating this month under the theme “Economic Empowerment For Women”, we see that as another helping hand from a Department whose mandate is very critical to the empowerment of women.
The mandate of providing shelter and accommodation. We thank the Department of Human Settlement for inviting and allowing us to address this occasion. Working together, we can ensure that the women of South Africa live in decent accommodation and bring up families with dignity.
I thank you.
