Programme Director
President of Netball South Africa, Mimi Mthethwa
Managing Director of Spar, Mr Brett Botton
Netball Players
Ladies and gentlemen
Ladies and gentlemen, the annual SPAR National Netball Championships is the biggest national tournament on the netball calendar.
This year’s tournament, from 7– 13 August, saw 42 regions competing in the 2011 SPAR National Netball Championships. We thank SPAR, the sponsors of Amatombazana, our national team for their sponsorship towards Netball, In my view, it is also correct that SPAR has recently been awarded as women’s sport Sponsor of the Year. Let us salute them for the stirling work they are doing by sponsoring and developing the biggest women’s sport in our country.
This tournament has the tradition of running over Women’s Day in Women’s month, and a tribute is always made to honour women in sport at the Opening Ceremony. I will get to that shortly.
Last year’s tournament was played in Potchefstroom, and the winners were Gauteng North. This year’s tournament demonstrates that netball has grown from strength to strength over the past year, as the SPAR National Netball Team defeated Malawi at the World Championships in Singapore in July.
We are now ranked first in Africa and 5th in the world. Netball, you have done us proud! We are excited that regions all over South Africa have had the opportunity to play more netball with the introduction of the Netball Grand Series, the final of which was played on Saturday 6th August in Bloemfontein. As we can see, there surely is a lot happening in Netball, and we would like to see you keep up the good work.
Netball has seen its support grow as well, not only in fans and netball players but also in the Government. President Zuma hosted an official send-off in Pretoria before the national team departed for Singapore. Also, Minister of Sport and Recreation, Mr. Fikile Mbalula surprised the team in Singapore with a function to wish them well before they started their games. Government is serious about women’s participation in sport, this is why we give you all the support we can.
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to pay my tribute to all women on our National Women’s Day. It humbles me to address you today. It appears as if it was only yesterday that we were in Potchefstroom where I also had the privilege to do this.
National Women's Day, as we know is an annual public holiday in South Africa on August 9. This commemorates the national march of women on this day in 1956 to petition against legislation that required African persons to carry the "pass", special identification documents which curtailed an African's freedom of movement during the apartheid era.
It inspires us today to remember that on August 9, 1956, 20,000 women staged a march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against the proposed amendments to the pass laws of 1950. They left heaps of petitions containing more than 100 000 signatures at Prime MinisterJ.G. Strijdom's office doors. Outside they stood silently for 30 minutes, many with their children on their backs.
Those who were working for Whites as nannies were carrying their white charges with them. The women sang a protest song that was composed in honour of the occasion: Wathint'Abafazi Wathint'imbokodo! This means "you strike a woman, you strike a rock". It has come to represent women's courage and strength in South Africa.
Since August 9, 1994, the day has been commemorated annually and is known as "Women's Day" in South Africa. In 2006, a reenactment of the march was staged for its 50th anniversary, with many of the 1956 march veterans. It is because of their involvement in the struggle over many years that today’s women are playing a central role in transforming our country into a democratic, non-racial and non-sexist society.
For instance the role being played today by sports women helps society understand and appreciate gender differences, and to prevent discrimination based on gender, age, race or sex.
The focus of the celebration of Women’s Day ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements.
In our country the original political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner. National Women’s Day in South Africa is held in high esteem. It is a reminder of the important contributions women make to society. It is also a time to ponder the advances in women’s rights.
The first International Women's Day event was run in 1911, so 2011 is the Global Centenary Year. Let us reinvent opportunity not only for working women but all women.
I must draw your attention to the hardship that displaced women endure. The displacement of populations is one of the gravest consequences of today's armed conflicts. It affects women in a host of ways.
Women displaced by armed conflict – often living alone with their children – are frequently exposed to sexual violence, discrimination and intimidation. Many face poverty and social exclusion. International humanitarian law therefore includes specific provisions protecting women, for example when they are pregnant or as mothers of young children.We in the sport sector should not to relent in our efforts to prevent rape and other forms of sexual violence that harm the lives and dignity of countless women every year. We must uphold these principles and live by them.
Ladies and gentlemen, we acknowledge that our South African Government has made significant efforts to address these gender equality issues through the ratification of the Cedaw convention and its Optional Protocol, which was introduced in 1999. However, I must add that despite these efforts, the lived realities of women, their quality of life, and their status within society has not seen a significant change. In short, we have much work still to do, and I urge every one of us present here today, to join us in our attempts to transform our society. We cannot fragment our lives by unfair gender and racial discrimination any longer.
I thank you for your kind attention and trust you will enjoy and savour your dinner!
