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Programme Director
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

I would first of all like to congratulate the Independent Electoral Commission for their invitation and for this initiative of creating a platform for women to celebrate their achievements of a decade of freedom and consolidate their future. It is particularly striking that this event takes place on the eve the eve of our third democratic national and provincial elections.

We gather here today on the eve of a decade democracy to look back and certainly celebrate the achievements of ten years of hard-fought freedom.
I believe I am right when I say we are gathered here to celebrate the resilience of our women, not only over the past decade but over many years during which they fought shoulder to shoulder with their male comrades and other freedom-loving forces the world over.

No doubt, we can, with certainty say that we are indeed reaping the fruits of freedom, though many challenges remain, including that of waging the fight against poverty. I have seen in my life households that live in abject poverty - families without any means to make a basic living. But what has always struck me as a mystery is how mothers manage to scrape here and there and be able to put supper on the table for their children.

Many of you were brought up in families that did not enjoy the chance of having both parents under the same roof. This could have been as a result of an array of reasons. Some of which could have been that the father was a migratory worker or an irresponsible father who just decided to desert his duties and responsibilities. What is a mystery to me is how the women have been able to feed, clothe and send their children to school.

This lends more credence to my assertion that ABOMAMA BABAMBA UMESE NGAPHO UKHALIPHE NGAKHONA.

We have seen how women suffered under discrimination and oppression, not only on the basis of race or colour but even on gender. In our families or households, at workplaces, in religious bodies, in community organisations, at schools, in political organisations, in fact in every sphere of life. They were victims of all forms of abuse.

Let me ask you therefore to pause for a moment and think about all those women, girl children and other victims who died from being assaulted and sexually abused in homes or on the streets. Women, ladies and gentlemen, played a pivotal role in the liberation struggle as members of the African National Congress and allied organisations such as trade unionists and in other capacities.

They carried out militant campaigns, against pass laws. They also carried on their shoulders the burden of participating in the underground and armed struggle of the then banned liberation movements. Many women suffered restriction, imprisonment, torture and even assassination at the hands of a brutal racist regime.

Over the history of the common exploitation and oppression of men and on the basis of colour has led to a combined fight against the system instead of a battle of women against men for "women's rights". While it is true that women desire their personal liberation, they saw that as part of the total liberation movement.

Despite all these cunning, shrewd and brutal desperate moves by the regime our women continued to lead strikes, even though strikes by Africans were illegal. AMANDLA! AMANDLA! ALUTA CONTINUA! We all can recall vividly when women decided against pass laws and said enough is enough. They declared:

"We, women will never carry these passes. This is something that touches my heart. I appeal to you young Africans to come forward and fight. These passes make the road even narrower for us. We have seen unemployment, lack of accommodation and families broken because of passes. We have seen it with our men. Who will look after our children when we go to jail, for a small technical offence - not having a pass?"

Let me conjure up some spirit of power that is in and around you like an aura, by chanting the slogan that was chanted by 20 000 women in a second march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, while waiting for the Prime Minister Strijdom and the Minister of Native Affairs, Dr HF Verwoerd, but as you all know, the two "gentlemen of honour" did not bother to come and accept the petition.

Wathint? Abafazi, Strijdom!
Wathint' imbokodo uzo kufa!
Now you have touched the women, Strijdom!
You have struck a rock
(You have dislodged a boulder!)
You will be crushed!

Women from all walks of life have been involved in the struggle for liberation. They selflessly and relentlessly challenged the system. In Nelspruit, for instance, in 1957, women attacked the car of the magistrate when he announced that passes would be distributed. When five women were arrested, 300 women marched to demand their release. Police made a baton charge and then opened fire. Four people were hurt. The following day, the women organised a strike. Police fired on crowds again and eight Africans were wounded. When the police conducted extensive raids they arrested 140 people. The women were forced to accept the passes.

I do not have to remind you of the Sharpeville massacre.

If I were to be asked by anyone whether we are making strides towards our noble ideal of a better life for all including women, my answer would be a resounding "yes." During the first decade, we made progress towards the achievements of the goals we enunciated as we took the first steps as a newborn child. We also laid a strong foundation to score even greater advances.

We are looking forward to a hopeful future. We have always known our country's blemishes produced by more than three centuries of colonialism and apartheid could not be removed in one decade.

On the political front, our struggle has paid off. Men and women of all races have been enfranchised, however, on the economic arena, there is still a long way to be travelled.

Nevertheless, we have no hesitation in saying that we have made great advances to ensure the expansion of the frontiers of human fulfilment and the continuous extension of the frontiers of the freedom of which we committed ourselves to almost ten years ago.

In Mpumalanga and the rest of our country, there have been great successes since the end of white minority rule in 1994. The economy was performing well and enjoying its longest period of growth since the 1940s, though challenges remain ahead.

What needed to be done was to ensure the "vigorous implementation of the policies of the past decade. While celebrating the tenth anniversary of the end of oppression and the advent of freedom, there was room for improvement and that South Africans themselves have to be part of the renewed efforts.

As South Africans we must work together in conditions of entrenched democracy, respect for human rights, peace and stability. We must continue to produce the good news that has made our country a place of hope, even for other people in the rest of the world".

We are proud of the fact that today, as a result of the struggle the masses of our people waged, including the women, our country's constitution includes the objective of the transformation of ours into a non-sexist society. This constitutional provision means that our country as a whole, including the government, has an obligation to ensure that this objective is realised.

Today, we are involved in a complex and all-encompassing struggle for the reconstruction and development of our country. We must take pride in the work we have done since 1994 to ensure that the emancipation of women is addressed as an integral part of our programme for reconstruction and development.

Progress has been achieved in many areas. Apart from the provisions in the constitution and the Bill of Rights that relate to this important matter, various laws have also been passed to move us further forward towards the birth of a non-sexist society.

Various government programmes have also had a positive impact on the emancipation of women from gender, race and class oppression and exploitation and, therefore, the lightening of the social burden on women that resulted from this oppression and exploitation.

Government has introduced a policy of affirmative action to enhance the changes of women in management position. Today, we have Ministers, Premier, and MECs in our National and Provincial Government who are women. We also have women in senior management positions in our administration.

This is a step in the right direction, however, I must admit, there is still a lot of improvement that needs to be done. But it is clear that we could move forward faster. Our policies make room for work place and gender focal points in every department. This is proof that we are taking the women's plight seriously.

Today we have many companies owned and led by women, companies like Wiphold, which is listed in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. This company is owned by women and is holding its own against a cutthroat market that is predominated by men.

Sometimes you may find it easier to create a job for yourself and others than to get a job in an already saturated market. One other area of serious challenge is domestic or gender based violence.

We are also proud that the Domestic Violence Act contains a particularly innovative feature - granting of a temporary Protection Order in cases where the court is satisfied that the actions of the aggressor pose "imminent harm" to the complainant.

That is the emancipation of South African women should be an emancipation of all women in the African continent. African leaders have made a commitment to their people, to lead Africa on a sustainable path of sustainable growth and development. Through the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) they committed themselves to accelerate growth and sustainable development.

It is vital that as the African Union begins its life, and as our continent begins with the implementation of NEPAD, we move decisively and successfully towards the realisation of the objective of peace and stability in Africa. We need to create conditions of peace, which will lead to stability in the continent. Peace and stability are a priority to all African women.

As women we shall not find peace if our children continue to die, as victims of war, like it is happening in Palestine and Israel. We need to destroy boundaries that exist in our minds and be able to deal with boundaries that were imposed on Africa to create disunity.

Our challenge as women of Africa is to rise and continue to fight for the restoration of our dignity, and for the recognition of women's rights as human rights, and together work towards sustainable development.

I wish you successful deliberations throughout your programme of the day and the next day.

I thank you.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
17 March 2004