ICYMI: Sustainable development goals underway

In line with observing 16 Days of Activism, the Motsepe Foundation hosted a breakfast to discuss how to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5) discussion was facilitated by CEO of the Talent Firm, Nozipho Mbanjwa at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Rosebank.

Mbanjwa said that many girls still live in communities where when they raise their heads to look at leaders in the public and private sectors, they look nothing like them, therefore could not exactly relate to the reality of challenges they face.

Highlighting on the problems women face, United Nations Secretary General’s SDG advocacy group, Graça Machel said 70 per cent of the women in countries like Nigeria and Mozambique do not have a bank account thus they do not have an economic identity. “We are used to a formal and informal economy, so this 70 per cent of women are the so-called ‘informal’ economy. The informal sector doesn’t count for the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of a country. Therefore, in developing countries such as mentioned, 70 per cent of women are excluded from being economic power players.”

RSA Minister in the presidency, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said there must be a policy which makes it illegal for women to be paid less income. “If we as women come together and say that we are not going to stand for this, then we will achieve a lot because women have got power and more so in numbers.”

Law Trust chairperson in Social Justice and Law, Professor Thuli Madonsela said a lot has been done by government in fighting against most of the inequalities. “However, because poverty and debt work pretty much the same way in that if you reduce debt in small instalments then it will take longer to pay off, therefore when we try to reduce inequality, poverty increases.”

Co-Founder and CEO of Motsepe Foundation, Dr Precious Moloi Motsepe said that for a prosperous and inclusive nation, we all need to be working together. She said the foundation in collaboration with other organisations will be creating this repository where members could all learn from each other while bench-marking themselves against countries that are doing well. “This is going to be a portal that is named Road Map To Success. It will document success stories of how countries and other organisations have facilitated women representation and bodies of decision-making authority at all levels.”

Details: Motsepe Foundation www.motsepefoundation.org

Do you think the country is any closer to achieving economic gender equality? Post your views on our timeline at Rosebank Killarney Gazette

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