Mr. Speaker
Honourable members,
African Union Chair tribute
Firstly, let me take this opportunity to congratulate one of the greatest and most extra-ordinary patriots and heroines of our struggle, Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, on her election as the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. She is an inspiration to all women across Africa and the world. Indeed, 15 July 2012 will occupy a special place in our hearts and on the African calendar, for it heralds the dawn of progressive and decisive leadership. We wish her success as she prepares to assume one of the most challenging tasks on our continent. We are very proud of her and her legacy. We have confidence that she will represent us well as Head of the AU Commission.
On Saturday, we were in Mangaung to honour one of the most distinguished daughters of our land, Charlotte Maxeke. She was the first black South African to graduate with a BSc degree. She was also the first President of the ANC Women’s League which was then called Bantu Women’s League as well as first President of the National Council of African Women. She started the AME Church in South Africa and schools with her husband. During this Women’s Month, we must pay tribute to this mother and leader of our people who chose a path of selfless service when she could have chosen to stay abroad and become a famous and wealthy scientist. Indeed, we owe her and her generation a debt of gratitude that we will not be able to repay in our lifetime.
Together, we have a responsibility to ensure that the struggles and sacrifices made by Charlotte Maxeke and her generation are not in vain. As we pursue the objective of a non-racial, non-sexist, equal and democratic society, we remain inspired by Charlotte Maxeke’s immortal words (and I quote):
“This work is not for yourselves — kill that spirit of self, and do not live above your people, but live with them. If you can rise, bring someone with you’’.
As we mark the 56th anniversary of the heroic 1956 march, we are reminded of the pledge never to betray their legacy and the vision for which many sacrificed their lives. As a country, we are commemorating this year’s Women’s Month under the theme: “56 years of women united against poverty, inequality and unemployment”, which is consistent with the today’s theme: “Mainstreaming gender equality in all sectors of the South African society”.
When our democratic government declared August as Women’s Month, it marked a fundamental and decisive break with our ugly past and thus signaled an unequivocal commitment to women empowerment and gender equality. This was a fitting tribute to the thousands of women who marched on the 9th of August 1956 to protest against the extension of Pass Laws to women. Unarmed and defenceless, they refused to surrender to one of the most brutal and repressive regimes in living memory. We must never forget the significant roles that they played in delivering to our generation a free and democratic society.
Each year, we utilise Women’s Month as a platform to focus the attention of the entire nation on issues of women empowerment and gender equality and to remind our people about the goals and vision that Charlotte Maxeke’s generation and the 1956 generation pursued with every sweat of their blood and every fibre of their being.
As we reflect on the plight of women, we must do so conscious of the pledge we made during our liberation struggle that we will never consider our freedom attained and democracy achieved until the women of our country are emancipated from the bondages of poverty, disease, inequality and poverty.
In keeping with the vision of Charlotte Maxeke and the 1956 generation, I can state without any fear of contradiction that, as a country and government, we have registered significant progress in the promotion of women empowerment and gender equality. An array of measures introduced since 1994 to promote women empowerment and uphold gender equality, have drastically improved the position and conditions of women in our country.
Today women occupy influential positions in government and play an important role in decision-making processes. The living conditions of the majority of ordinary women have undergone significant qualitative change. Women now have access to housing, water, electricity, education, social services, healthcare and other services.
We are making progress in addressing the primary health care needs of women and girls as reflected in the decline of maternal and child mortality as well as mother-to-child transmission of HIV rates. We are encouraged by these developments, but believe that more still needs to be done. We will work hard with the Ministry of Health until we achieve ZERO infection of mother-to-child transmission; and ZERO transmission for all our people.
No one can contest the assertion that South Africa has some of the most progressive policies that are aimed at advancing women empowerment and gender equality. However, the challenge remains the actual translation of these policies and legislative frameworks into implementation. While significant strides have been made to empower women and promote gender equality, women still bear a disproportionate burden of the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment.
Women continue to be marginalised and discriminated against in terms of economic opportunities, the labour market as well as access to land, credit, and finance. In addition, a life of abuse, discrimination and violation of human rights remain the harsh reality for the majority of the women in our country.
As government, we remain concerned at the continued exclusion and under-representation of women at executive level of many corporate companies. The results of the 2011 Businesswomen Association (BWA) South African Women in Leadership Census paints a sad picture.
It is disheartening that in this day and age there are still companies that have a 0% women representation of directors and executive managers. According to BWA census, women are clearly in the minority amongst their male counterparts in leadership positions. Women hold only 4.4% of CEO/MD positions, 5.3% of Chairperson positions, and 15.8% of all Directorships. The same report indicates that in the public service, women hold 35% of all Senior Management positions.
BWA and all of us who are committed to building a society based on equality are understandably concerned at the continued exclusion of women and the slow pace at which they were being incorporated into the corporate space at senior level.It has become clear that the empowerment of women cannot be left to market forces.
I am pleased to announce that the drafting of the Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill is at an advanced stage. The national policy is proposing guidelines for promoting women empowerment and gender equality in our country.
The Draft Bill will be tabled before Cabinet during the 2012\13 financial year. This will help enforce compliance in both government and the private sector. South Africa has made commitments through the Constitution, various pieces of legislation and international conventions to respect, promote, protect and advance the rights of women. We have a duty and obligation to honour these commitments.
We believe that one of the key areas that are critical in advancing women empowerment and gender equality is the budget. Early this year, we launched the Women and Budgeting Initiative in partnership with the Motsepe Foundation and UN Women. Together, we need to reflect on the budgeting process and economic frameworks and how these can constrain or promote the development and implementation of policies aimed at empowering women and vulnerable groups.
We are fully aware that budgets have been instrumental in perpetuating gender biases globally. We also know that budgets can be instrumental in transforming and redressing existing gender inequalities. Mainstreaming gender into budgeting processes is critical to building an equal society. We believe that gender-responsive budgeting can be a tool to promote the socio-economic rights of women, children and people with disabilities, and is key in reducing inequality in our country.
At all times it is critical that we all work together and assess the extent to which the national budget and the resources at our disposal are utilised to promote women empowerment and gender equality. If used appropriately, the budget can serve as a powerful tool of transformation.
We continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the New Growth Path and the Green Fund are gender and disability responsive. Working together with government departments and other partners, we are facilitating opportunities for women in rural, peri-urban and informal settlements to participate in green economy projects such as solar energy, water purification, agriculture, construction, waste management and tourism.
The department will also monitor the extent to which women and people with disabilities benefit through the preferential procurement system in government. The department will continue to encourage companies and organisations of women to register on government entities and departments’ supply chain databases.
We are also facilitating financial support and training for women farmers and women’s co-operatives with our national and international partners. Indeed, financial dependency on husbands, fathers, partners and family members has increased women’s vulnerability to domestic violence, rape, incest, abuse, and murder. Lack of economic independence makes it difficult for many women to walk out of abusive relationship. As a result of their vulnerability, they remain trapped in abusive marriages and relationships. We remain convinced that empowering women will help us win the war against poverty, inequality, unemployment and abuse.
As we fight poverty in the rural areas, we must recognise that in South Africa this scourge bears a female face. The rural profile of South Africa continues to be one of female-headed households, growing poverty, human rights abuses and increased gender-based violence, unemployment and high prevalence of HIV and AIDS.
Rural women make up more than a quarter of the world population. They contribute to the well-being of their families and the development of rural economies. Because of their central role in food production and food security, more attention must be paid on empowering rural women if we want to help sustain rural economies and contribute towards sustainable livelihoods in rural communities.
Working together with the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, we want to facilitate women’s access to land. We are determined to ensure that women, including women with disabilities, become the main beneficiaries of land reform program.
This is because the challenges of rural development, food security and land reform affect women disproportionately. Together, we have a responsibility to ensure gender equality and women empowerment in the countryside.
As a department, we are encouraged by the almost universal opposition to the Traditional Courts’ Bill. As a result of the relentless and unequivocal position adopted by the women, this Bill will certainly not see the light of day in its current form. We have consistently stated that this Bill, in its current form, will not stand the Constitutional test, and that as a nation, we must guard against all attempts to reverse the gains we have made towards women empowerment and gender equality since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
Rural women’s lack of access to resources and basic services is compounded by their unequal rights in family and traditional structures, as well as unequal access to family resources, such as land and livestock as well as oppressive traditional practices. We are concerned that the Bill will perpetuate this state of affairs. We welcome the quick response by the Minister of Justice that this Bill is flawed in its current form and that it has to be overhauled.
As government, we are taking the war against gender-based violence to a higher level. Cabinet approved the establishment of the National Council Against Gender-based Violence, which is a high-level multi-sectoral national response to the scourge. Led by the Deputy President, we are confident that the work of the Council will lead to a significant reduction in the incidents of violence against women and children. The National Council Against Gender-Based Violence will be launched on the 25th of August 2012. We are confident that this will help us turn the tide against gender-based violence in the country.
Honourable Speaker, the best tribute we can pay to Charlotte Maxeke and the heroines of the 1956 March is to ensure that we accelerate the agenda of creating a society that respects and promotes the rights of women. In their name, let us ensure that we overcome the remaining challenges of inequality, poverty, disease and abuse that continue to impede true women empowerment and gender equality.
I thank you!
Malibongwe!
