Let’s salute those who continue to fight tirelessly for women emancipation.
This month, we pause as a nation and remember the events of August 9 1956, when about 20 000 women of all races marched to the Union Building to protest against the discriminatory pass laws which had restricted the movement of black people in this country. Our country will always be indebted to the women who participated in the 1956 march, whose actions set the tone for gender equality and empowerment in a democratic South Africa.
We have, as a country made significant inroads in the past 21 years in so far as gender parity and women empowerment is concerned. Since apartheid the country has moved from a history where women suffered oppression based on their gender, colour and class to one where gender equality is now a constitutional imperative.
South African women have taken their rightful place in parliament, government, the private sector and civil society. It’s also worth noting that many of them have held their heads high and represented women very well in the positions they hold. Major General Maggy Mathebula is a model example. She was entrusted with leading the South African Police Service in the Tzaneen Cluster, an organisation that was previously male dominated, and quite frankly she held her own.
While there is an acknowledgement from all South Africans on the advances that have been made for women emancipation, many women remain marginalised and vulnerable to social risks such as violence, abuse, rape, unemployment and poverty. It becomes our collective responsibility to continue to pursue and advocate the empowerment of women. This responsibility cannot be relegated to government alone.
We can only to successfully move forward the struggle for women emancipation if government collaborates with business and civil society.
We need to welcome the determination by the African Union (AU) which has put women at the heart of its developmental agenda by declaring 2010 to 2020 as the ‘African Women’s Decade’ under the theme: “Grassroots approach to gender equality and women’s empowerment”.
The Africa Union has taken a decision that by 2020 all African countries must have achieved parity in women representation in decision making and participation in the economy. This bold declaration is an acknowledgement that Africa will only advance when women are fully incorporated into the development strategies and decision-making processes.
We salute those who continue to fight tirelessly for the emancipation of women. We owe it to the women of this country, the women of Africa and the wonderful women in our lives to unite and continue to alter their social and economic conditions.
The writer, Odas Ngobeni works for Government Communications (GCIS). He writes in his personal capacity.
