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8 August 2008

Next week is officially the Public Service Women Management Week of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape. The aim is to further the Head of Departments eight Principle Action Plan for Promoting Gender Equality in the workplace.

The principles include meeting equity targets, creating enabling environments for women, mainstreaming gender. These are all good ideas and concepts which we need to move women further into the general mainstream regarding public life in general better educations, better jobs, better salaries, more and better planned control over their selves and their labours.

However, I think it would be remiss of me not to backdrop what we are doing as government, with how it overarches and reaches into general society as well as to look at how far women have come generally in the last 30 years and especially since 1994.

We must also remember that the struggles of the urban woman are not the same and in some instances not as difficult or life threatening as that of the rural woman. Disabled women also in most cases, face harder and different struggles.

So it is a broad range of issues that one deals with when you look at women's issues today, and we at provincial government work very hard in trying to get some of these right. Since the time that women came together to protest maids and madams, some of the maids pushing the madam's babies in prams, travelling by bus, train and even donkey, to the Union Buildings, to speak out against the powers trying to keep women in their place.

And today we all know that there are places for women everywhere but the right to those places is not always automatic, and access is often barred. But like then, we will continue to unblock opportunities and move forward in society the spaces and reach of women.

So with some of this background in mind, the annual public service week seeks to provide a platform for all women who work in provincial government and improve their work experience.

To that end, a two day conference will mainly focus on provincial government executives, leaders, senior and middle management members, who will consult, interact and ultimately influence the desired policy direction and strategic intervention within the public service.

While a two day workshop focuses on other women employees along lines of professional development and finance. We hope to via these activities (eight principle action plan) take another step forward in equipping women with the tools to address gender equity based challenges and enhance women's leadership capabilities. And of course, their growth in the workplace.

We are also hoping to be in full accordance with Cabinet's decision that by 2009, half of the senior managers in the Public Service, will be women.

The national theme for women's month 2008 is, 'Business Unusual: All power to the Women.'

The provincial government of Western Cape women's month 2008 theme is, Celebrating Excellence in leadership and new possibilities for women in the Western Cape Government

While the annual Public Service Women Management week conference theme is: Always set the trail, never follow the path.

I think that if we here in the Western Cape are not well on the path to setting a trail, we nevertheless are taking the road less travelled.

Thank you.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Western Cape Provincial Government
8 August 2008