Zuma – women better of today than before

The government is moving closer to achieving its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals.

This according to President Jacob Zuma at the national Women’s Day celebrations on 10 August in Durban.

South Africa is a signatory to the Millennium Development Goals which are targets set by the United Nations to improve the lives of vulnerable people in society, such as women and children, by 2015. Zuma said government had achieved significantly on some of the goals. He said it had succeeded with goal one of reducing of hunger and poverty. This he said was through the social welfare system which provides 16 million people with a range of social grants, and that the indigent accessed other services essential to their survival. He urged parents to partner with government’s programmes by providing additional support to their dependents especially children in order to bolster their social security.

The president added that government had achieved well in education with children’s access to free primary and subsidised education at secondary level. This included an increase in the enrolment of girls in schools up to Grade 12. He said this was a catalyst for improved gender equality, improved life skills and academic development which will assist females find better careers and life opportunities in line with their male counterparts.

He added, though, that more needed to be done to fulfil the country’s commitment to the goals through improvements in the provision of electricity, water and sanitation through the newly-created of Ministry of Water and Sanitation headed by the former premier of Gauteng, Nomvula Mokonyane.

The president also stated that amendments to employment equity legislation would address discrimination against women in the workplace. The changes, he said, would ensure equal pay for equal work, and would deal with cases of sexual harassment more effectively. He said the legislation would give more power to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration to decisively address sexual harassment cases, thus saving female victims from expensive legal costs.