LIMPOPO – Among the women honoured at the event were employees of Mariveni Farmers’ Cooperative, who recently won an award as the Best Cooperative at the Limpopo Province Productivity Awards hosted by the Provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism.
Nomsa Ngwenya, a female farmer based in Letsitele whose farm was recently chosen by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as an ideal point to commemorate the launch of Arbor Week, was also among the women of the hour.
Her farm was chosen because it exhibits some of the best practices of Agri-Forestry in the country which was in line with the theme for Arbor Week.
According to Rakgoale, these women often achieve great feats with minimum resources.
“They didn’t choose the convenient route; they rose above their challenges to achieve their goals,” she said. She said these women have a passion for uplifting their communities and that is why they prosper.
She explained the district women’s day celebration is dedicated to women in farming and those who risked their lives to come face to face with the former apartheid regime when they marched to the Union Buildings to challenge new pass laws in 1956.
South Africa has made legally binding commitments such as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Africa Union Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among others, to respect, protect and fulfill women’s human rights, recognising their intrinsic value as well as the synergies between women’s rights, wider prosperity and an improved quality of life.
She further expressed concern that despite all their efforts, many women still face challenges in accessing health and basic services as well as pursuing academic endevours.
“The National Development Plan (NDP) 2030, a development blueprint, identifies women as the most affected by inequality, poverty and unemployment. This is especially true in rural areas.
She concluded by saying as much as women celebrate their accomplishments, they must never forget how far they have come and how much still needs to be done to emancipate women across the country. The manager for the Office on the Status of Women in the Limpopo Premier’s Office, Lydia Morudu, said women must claim their position in the country’s democracy. She said there are many opportunities open to women and they need to make the most of them.
Chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders in Mopani, Kgoshi Mokgadi Sekgopo, said traditional leaders will continue to lend a helping hand to women who need land for farming or any form of business.
