at the 10th anniversary of Women in Mining and Technology for Women in Business
(TWIB) Awards
30 August 2007
Programme Director
Esteemed guests
Representatives of the private sector
Representatives of labour unions
Directors-General
Officials from the three spheres of government
TWIB finalists
Ladies and gentlemen
It is indeed a great privilege and honour for me to address this gathering
tonight, especially as it takes place during August, the Month of Women. Our
challenge is to make every month, a woman's month; every day, a woman's day
throughout the year. The struggle for the emancipation of women in this country
is intertwined with the struggle for liberation. It is truism that if women
remain oppressed, the real emancipation of South Africans is a job half done.
If we fail to advance women empowerment, we shall have failed the masses of
women who, in the preamble to the Women Charter of 1954, declared:
"We, the women of South Africa, wives, mothers, working women and
housewives, Africans, Indians, Europeans and Coloured, hereby declare our aim
of striving for the removal of all laws, regulations, conventions and customs
that discriminate against us as women, and that deprive us in any way of our
inherent right to the advantages, responsibilities and opportunities that
society offers to any one section of the population".
Programme Director, tomorrow, we, the women of South Africa, joined by
captains of the mining and energy sectors, labour unions and other important
stakeholders, will march to the Union Buildings, retracing the footsteps of
those courageous women of 1956, to present our commitments to the Deputy
President of the Republic of South Africa, Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. This will
also be an opportunity to acknowledge the strides that we have made.
While we will commit ourselves to the ideals espoused in the Liquid Fuels
and the Mining Charters and report on the achievements attained, we dare not be
oblivious to the challenges along the way. For instance, I still want to see
more women play a meaningful role in the private sector. There is still a
sprinkling of women in executive positions and on boards of directors. That is
not good enough. This dearth of participation by women can partly be attributed
to the policies and legislation that we had in this country before 1994. It is
a historical fact that women in this country were denied a place in the sun
through well-orchestrated legislative measures.
The present government prides itself in the strides made to undo the damage
caused by such oppressive measures since it came into power in 1994. Government
has over the years developed a body of progressive legislation. Most
significantly, these pieces of legislation have broken the chains and released
the bondages that have kept women down for so long. The Mines Health and Safety
Act of 1996, for instance, removed the restrictions on women to work
underground. The Employment Equity Act of 1998 is another ground-breaking law
that has put women on the same footing as men, by doing away with
discrimination on the grounds of gender, among others. Let me congratulate the
mining sector for taking advantage of this enabling environment by employing
women in positions that were previously the domain of men. Today we have women
working underground as hoist and locomotive drivers, winding engine drivers,
mechanical engineers and conveyor belt attendants.
I am also proud that women are not sitting back and waiting for the fruits
of liberation to come on a silver platter. South Africa is full of stories
about women who have taken their destiny in their own hands. These women can be
found in all spheres of our society. German novelist Louise Otto once wrote:
"The history of all times, and of today especially, teaches that women will be
forgotten if they forget to think about themselves". These words are as true as
they were in 1849.
Programme Director, South African women have not forgotten to think about
themselves. Inroads that they have made in the field of technology bear
testimony to this. Tonight we will be honouring women achievers in technology
in the mining and energy sectors. Through the Technology for Women in Business
initiative, enterprising women have over the past decade shown how the
application of science and technology can lead to business growth, especially
in the small, medium and macro enterprises (SMMEs) in mining and energy.
It is my sincere hope that winners of the awards tonight will be an
inspiration to other aspirant entrepreneurs and de-mystify the fear of
technology. This country needs entrepreneurs who embrace technology. As
pioneers, you have a responsibility to lift others in your respective
communities. We want more women, especially those in rural areas, to be aware
of the benefits of technological interventions as they strive to catapult their
respective small enterprises into big business.
Programme Director, the Department of Minerals and Energy is aware of the
challenges and hurdles that women face in their endeavours to make inroads in
mining and energy. I want to assure you that we are here to lend a hand. We are
all in this together.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Minerals and Energy
30 August 2007
Source: Department of Minerals and Energy (http://www.dme.gov.za)
