The Department of Social Development and its agency, SASSA ,have joined the nation in celebrating women in Balfour

As part of commemorating Women’s Day, the Department of Social Development and its agency SASSA celebrated at Dipaleseng Thusong Centre, Dipaleseng Local Municipality, on Tuesday August 9.

The event was addressed by the Mpumalanga premier, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, and she placed a lot of emphasis on gender-based violence (GBV) in the province.

“Allow me to also add my voice about gender-based violence and femicide. This phenomenon has reached pandemic levels and is a thorn in the flesh, not only of Mpumalanga but the country as a whole.

“In the weeks ahead I will convene dialogues with women across the three districts to get a better sense of where we are lacking in our efforts to effectively aid victims of gender-based violence. We want a society where victims are not influenced to sweep this scourge under the proverbial carpet. From these dialogues we shall develop a holistic approach to end the pandemic through a strategic plan,” she said.

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This year’s Women’s Day was celebrated under the theme, “Women’s socio-economic rights and empowerment: building back better for women’s improved resilience”.

The MEC for agriculture, rural development, land and environmental affairs, Busi Sheba, spoke on the sideline of the Provincial Women’s Day celebration and went on the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs (DARDLEA) exhibition stand to encourage people on the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables and also to do backyard gardens.

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“I call on every household to establish backyard gardens and grow their own vegetables instead of buying from shops, and that those who cannot do that must support the women vendors who depend on selling fresh veggies for their livelihood,” she said