Address by the Director-General of the Department of Labour at the Women’s day celebration held as part of the Department taking services to the people in Rustenburg
Programme Director,
DDGs and Commissioners UIF & CF present
Chief Directors and Directors present
Municipal Manager of the Rustenburg Local Municipality
DDLCO’s
Most importantly, our beautiful and gorgeous looking women of the Department of Labour
I greet you all
Programme Director, it’s an honour and a privilege for me to be addressing this auspicious occasion whose aim is simply to celebrate and commemorate the historic day in the calendar of the country. It indeed feels good to be in a company of gorgeous and fabulous women of substance such as yourselves. This month is the only time that I accept with pride when someone labels me of being a woman, sissy, for such labels help to bring my feminine side out. There’s one condition though, that the labeling should be done by a woman.
Program Director, James Edward Lee’s in his book entitled What is a woman, describes a woman as a beauty yet stern; and a nurturer yet firm. Diane Mariechild said “A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform”. Whilst Eleanor Roosevelt said “A woman is like a tea bag you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water”.
Programme Director, today we gathered here to celebrate and remember the efforts and strides of women who played a significant role in the liberation and emancipation of not only our women but the country as well. The 2018 women’s month is observed under the theme, 100 years of Albertina Sisulu: Women of Fortitude: Women United in Moving South Africa Forward. Mama Albertina Sisulu is amongst one of the greatest leaders this country has known, and we today celebrate importantly her contribution to the struggle of the South African people for liberation. Mama Sisulu led a courageous and selfless life and she embodied the values that continue to guide our struggle for the emancipation of women in all spheres of the society. I know for sure that most of you if not all embodies the spirit and zeal that Mama Sisulu displayed then, for you continue to struggle for the en-betterment of your Department and country at large.
Program Director, it will be amiss of me if I don’t reflect on the passing away of another woman of immense substance, “The Queen of Soul”, Ms Aretha Franklin. Aretha Franklin, through her music, she has ensured that women empowerment and women voice is heard. Aretha Franklin was an ardent supporter of civil and women’s rights throughout her life. She influenced countless other artists who carry her soulful passion into their music, inspiring millions of people worldwide. Franklin also championed causes like health care access, environmental protection, and disability rights. With her soaring range and empowering messages, Franklin also inspired a generation of activists.
Franklin was a dedicated philanthropist throughout her life and was never far from the pulse of social justice, appearing on stages with both Martin Luther King Jr. and former President Barack Obama. In an era when respect was not universally received by women, Franklin’s rousing version of “Respect,” first recorded by Otis Redding, was and continues an electrifying call to action. The unflinching demand for respect became a mantra for both the women’s rights and civil rights movements. Released in the 1970s, the song radically overturned gender conventions by situating a woman as the primary breadwinner in a family and fiercely challenged sexist assumptions.
Franklin’s song “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves” was another feminist anthem, envisioning a world where women everywhere can break free from the constraints of a sexist society.
“Now this is a song to celebrate,” the lyrics read. “The conscious liberation of the female state! / Mothers, daughters, and their daughters, too. / Woman to woman / We’re singing’ with you. / The inferior sex got a new exterior / We got doctors, lawyers, politicians, too.”
On behalf of the Department of Labour, I would like to express appreciation to all women in the Department from various programmes for your selfless efforts to serve the country and its people with dignity and honour. For ensuring that as a Department we keep true to our mandate of servicing our clients who are beneficiaries of various grants and services. The sterling job that you continue to perform validates the 1956 march to the Union Buildings by the women of SA who were characterised by resolute spirit that sought equality, justice and freedom for all.
Today the Department is proud of the contribution that as women you make towards the carrying out of the Constitutional mandate and sustenance of livelihood of the citizenry of this country. This is evident in various service delivery efforts which you take daily in support of the vulnerable groups whom we serve daily.
Programme Director, women’s day presents us with an opportunity to pay tribute to women who contributed immensely to the development of the country’s agenda for equity and for equal opportunities. Through their struggle various forms of legislations which aims at the elimination of unfair discrimination and the implementation of affirmative action measures to enable equitable representation in relation to amongst others gender in the workplace. Through the enforcement of various legislations which as the department we are responsible for enforcing, the country has seen an increase of appointment of women at top and senior management position from 13% in 2001 to 22.9% in 2017, and also 20% to 38.8% respectively. Although we are not there yet, this in a way is an indication of the positive progress we are making towards the transformation of the labour market. Internally as a department, we are also making progress in achieving our target of 50% of women at SMS, where currently we are as per our staff establishment sitting at 45.5%.
As part of our endeavours and initiatives towards the empowerment of women, we are enrolling women onto the Accelerated Development Programme which is aimed at ensuring that they are ready for employment at senior management positions and I will make a humbly plea that you make yourselves available for this opportunities. My own experience has taught me that there is no limit to what a woman can do when given an opportunity and access to resources. I therefore urge all the women in the Department to lead the way towards their own emancipation by working to make their mark in various capacities in the department.
The Department has also taken a conscious decision to ensure that women are exposed to other developmental programmes such as the Executive Development Programme and the Project Khaedu which were previously meant for Senior Management. It is now upon you to take advantage of the growth opportunities presented by the Department.
Programme Director, as a department, or let me specifically indicate that I am very much concerned about the subtle but brutal manner in which women are exposed to verbal, sexual, emotional and physical abuse. As a men, I urge all other males in the department, that we need to acknowledge the scourge of gender based violence which manifest itself through various forms, which in the main especially in the workplace boarders around verbal, sexual and emotional abuse. We do this in meetings, in our day to day activities directly or indirectly.
We should acknowledge also that we leave in a society that has long struggled against gender-based violence, where the assault on the integrity and humanity of women has reached unprecedented levels. It might be difficult to establish the full extent of this epidemic particularly in our department mainly because cases of harassment, emotional and verbal abuse are hardly reported in fear of victimisation mainly because at times perpetrators are those in senior or supervisory levels. The real danger that now exists is that violence against women has become so pervasive, where society is gradually unmoved and has stopped seeing it as unacceptable and abhorrent, we have stopped taking meaningful action against it, rather we have resorted to only lamentations and weary acceptance.In a world where gender inequality exists, we need to understand that we as humans comprise of both men and women who co-exist and are co-dependent.
Most of the inequality comes from the stereotyping of roles, duties and professions based on gender. And for women to wrench back the lost power and empower themselves, they will need a lot of support and understanding from men. As a man, I cannot even imagine what an average woman goes through in terms of the turmoil faced by the gender discrimination that takes place on a daily basis, everywhere in our country. But I can understand and empathise with many of the problems that they face.
Progress towards making women empowered will not only be beneficial to the women all around but to the men as well. But yet some men worry that they will lose their power if they empower women, which makes absolutely no sense to me. I have been privileged to be mentored and lead by remarkable women through out my career in the public service (Siyanda Zondeki, Minister Mildred Oliphant). We have to change such kinds of stereotypes and ensure the stability in the country before the gap of gender discrimination increases.
In an essays published in November 2013, entitled “ Male Role in Female Empowerment” it is argued that “ Considering the important role women play in the development agenda, it is only proper men get involved irrespective of how some women activist view it. Women have the primary task of child rearing and therefore need all the resources to execute this task in order to break the cyclical transmission of poverty from generation to generation. Women transmit values to the next generation therefore, to make the biggest impact on development; society must empower and invest in its women.
The lives of men and women are interdependent and any benefit from women empowerment will go a long way to benefit both. Hence, it is no wonder that when the call was made on countries in 1994 at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) to promote men's support in the struggle for gender equality and encourage their involvement and shared responsibility in all areas of family life and reproductive health many men accepted. With men's power in public and private life, their cooperation is indispensable in the domestic and community spheres, national politics, finance and governance.
Consequently, the empowerment of women is very crucial for the development of any society considering the roles they play in society and the fact they form more than half of the human resource of our nation but their empowerment cannot materialise without men being involved. Men have been at the centre stage of the issue of societal inequalities and hence remedying the situation requires their involvement. However, some feminist have met this development with much suspicion, hostility and distrust for these men. On the other hand, some feminist are advocating for the involvement of men as a way of addressing gender inequalities and mobilising resource for women's empowerment. Accordingly, there is the need for those who work in the field to reach, encourage, empower, and mobilise men to become part of the fight to achieve greater success.
I hope that as men we will join hands in fighting gender discrimination. The empowerment of women begins with men. Men as heads of families and leaders of societies need to instill in the young minds of their sons a tradition of respecting women, of appreciating their worth, and of not promoting cultural values that dehumanise, brutalise, or disrespect women. It’s up to us to make the changes we want to see.
Program Director, I commit that as a Department, we shall do our part through development and implementation of gender responsive policies to offer protection and a voice to women who are victims of abuse, we shall do our part through programmes and practices that will seek to drastically reduce levels of gender-based violence and ultimately eradicate it. We will be swift in taking action against perpetrators, and will will through our employee wellness program, provide necessary support and protection to survivors of violence.
As I go towards my conclusion, allow me to encourage all young women in the department who are still looking to grow in the public sector, that you should take advantage of your age and use the resources available wisely, you are the leaders of tomorrow. If you take action today and are responsible, we might, in the next few years be talking about Men Empowerment because you would have made significant strides in the economy and left all these men at the position where they are now, as their position is affirmed by culture. Like the women of 1956, you can achieve what you want when you forge ahead in unity. Remember that you are stronger when you are united than when you stand alone. Therefore nothing can defeat you, even the strange and abhorrent phenomenon of the abuse of women and children. Perseverance and persistence, in spite of all obstacles is what distinguishes the strong from the weak. As women you are known to be strong characters who open the way even when there is no way.
Enjoy your day and the rest of the August which is known as women’s month. From today henceforth, may your hardship and sorrow be transformed into something full of beauty, vitality and hope.
Thank you.
