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9 August 2008

Programme Director
Mayor and councillors
Members of Parliament
Friends and compatriots
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

When the women of South Africa converged at the Union Buildings fifty one years ago, from every corner of South Africa, they created one of the enduring landmarks of our country's history. They declared that women would insist on their role in making history.

Then, they vowed to a stubborn oppressor that they would resist and fight for liberation. Today, at the seat of our first democratic government, you have assembled to affirm the wisdom and farsightedness of those who declare: "Wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo; uzokufa!"

Your presence here this morning, underlines the weight of the pledge for women of South Africa to join hands with government for Unity, Peace and Development.
That is a daunting task. The legacy of oppression weighs heavily on women. As long as women are bound by poverty and as long as they are looked down upon, human rights will lack substance.

As long as outmoded ways of thinking prevent women from making a meaningful contribution to society, progress will be slow. As long as the nation refuses to acknowledge the equal role of more than half of itself, it is doomed to failure.
Yet we can acknowledge on this Women's Day that in its short life, democratic South Africa has marked out significant milestones towards improving the status of women. For this we congratulate the women of South Africa: in government; in business; in trade union and community structures; in religious bodies; in women's organisations and elsewhere.

The participation of women in the provincial launch of the Progressive Women's Movement of South Africa (PWMSA) and South African Women in Dialogue (SAWID) has strengthened the forces for change in our province and our country. By ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women, South Africa has committed itself to specific and practical guidelines for attaining gender equality and the empowerment of women. These commitments assist us in our task, because they allow us to draw on the experience and the victories of women across all races, religions and cultural backgrounds.

Our new constitution, in whose drafting women played a key role, commits our society to the equality of women. It is one of our most important milestones.
The challenge now, for government, for women, and for men is to seize the opportunities provided by these new formal instruments, so that women can indeed play their rightful role in transforming our society, in generating sustained economic growth, in reconstruction and development.

For its part, government is proud of the start it has made, with its social partners, in improving the lives of millions of our people. Better access to health care especially for women and young children; nutrition schemes for children; provision of clean water and electricity to communities that never had them.

Ladies and gentlemen, these are just some of the first steps in our nation's attack on poverty which weighs so heavily on women in particular. As we build on this start, we have to ensure that the needs and interests of women inform our policies and the way we implement them. This requires the creation of a framework of commitments throughout government and the establishment of mechanisms for mobilising resources, co-ordinating policies and monitoring implementation.

It is on this day that we applaud the work done by our gender machinery as broader set of structures charged with issues relating to gender equality. These bodies are employed with the mechanisms for giving government departments an effective focus on gender issues. As a whole, this national machinery helps us ensure that government does not merely pay lip-service to its policies concerning women, but actively implements them.

The success of these measures constantly requires of women that you organise to define your needs and priorities and bring them to the attention of government. It will require that you continue to speak with a clear and united voice. It will require speedy movement towards a national and truly representative voice of the women of South Africa.

Programme Director, violence against women is a serious and escalating evil in our society. It is both a part of the subordination of women and consequence of that inequality. This pervasive violence against women has to end. The tragic and inhumane phenomenon of femicide murders reported in our province recently cannot be left uncondemned. We must eradicate this violence against women. We should ask ourselves as women, how many women should be killed by their partners before we can do something about it!

Although we welcome the initiatives taken by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who stand against violence, such as the White Ribbon campaign, we also need to strengthen our collective strength to rid our society of all this evil deed.

Ladies and gentlemen, by doing so you are not only showing your solidarity with victims of abuse but also ensuring that we create a safe and healthy society for our children who are in most cases the innocent victims of violent crimes and domestic squabbles. You will help spread awareness of what has been too long hidden by our families, who encouraged women not to speak about abusive relationships which ended up costing them their fragile lives. You will give a clear message to the perpetrators that what they are doing is beyond the bounds of human conduct.

Our anger should strengthen the resolve of all of us, inside and outside government, individuals, organisations and communities to join hands with the police in combating violent crime. Our ultimate victory in the war against criminals depends on the support and co-operation of every sector of society.
We know that the criminals, including those who abuse women, depend on people around them, women as well as men, keeping silent even though they reject what they are doing. The time has come to speak up and expose the criminals.
Only through a partnership of police and those they serve will we truly achieve the Peace to which we all strive for.

Let us join hands, in response to the call of the women, for Unity, Peace and Development. Let us enter the new century with concrete results to measure our beautiful words. On the economy, women stand to gain as we implement our plans to grow the economy and create jobs for our people. Our policies seek to improve opportunities for women to participate in the economy as entrepreneurs and owners of the means of production. Women continue to be the main beneficiaries of social security grants. As we continue to raise the bar in women empowerment it is important that we put it behind.

In conclusion, let me leave you with the prophetic statement of the women of 1956 who said: "the level of civilization which any society has reached can be measured by the degree of freedom that its members enjoy. The status of women is a test of civilisation."

We too will be measured by the status we accord to women in our societies. In moving forward, we dare to disappoint the proud memories of those earlier generations. Let us build on the gains that we have made by the committing ourselves to determined, accelerated implementation.

Equal power and glory to the Women of South Africa!

I thank you.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Northern Cape Provincial Government
9 August 2008