Zuma pays tribute to SA women

President Jacob Zuma delivering his speech at the Women's Day celebration held at Harry Gwala Multi-Purpose Centre in sasolburg, Free State.09/08/2015 Kopano Tlape GCIS

President Jacob Zuma delivering his speech at the Women's Day celebration held at Harry Gwala Multi-Purpose Centre in sasolburg, Free State.09/08/2015 Kopano Tlape GCIS

Published Aug 10, 2015

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Johannesburg - South African women don’t just have to battle inequality in the workplace – they’re targets for sexual predators too, and how they react to it affects their chances for promotion.

In a hard-hitting speech to more than 20 000 women, mostly from the ANC Women’s League, in Zamdela township, Sasolburg, on Sunday, President Jacob Zuma said that in spite of all efforts made to empower women, “remnants of unfair discrimination still persist in our country, especially in the labour market”.

Delivering the keynote address on the 59th anniversary of the historic women’s march to the Union Buildings to protest the extension of the hated dompas to them, Zuma said: “Women are discriminated against on the basis of pregnancy or marital status. They are also subjected to pay inequality and sexual harassment. These must be addressed, as all citizens are entitled to equal treatment.”

His speech coincided with the launch of the report into the status of women in their workplaces.

Zuma said there was an urgent need for women to play a greater role in the economy.

Paying tribute to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and the late Ruth Mompati, Zuma said the strides made for the emancipation of women were directly attributable to their and other stalwarts’ sacrifice and courageous spirit.

He recounted the various other roles played by women in other parts of the country who took part in anti-pass campaigns since 1913. “This shows that women were in their own rights pioneers in the struggle for liberation,” he said.

Before detailing with how women were sexually harassed and denied opportunities in their workplaces, Zuma said that after 1994, significant progress had been made to empower women. His office was an important contributor, he said.

“Significant progress has been made in areas such as legal status, attitudes, women’s involvement in decision-making, especially at the political level, in employment, education, ownership of homes and businesses, the justice system and economic participation.

“Women representation in the National Assembly moved from a mere 2.7 percent pre-1994 to the current 41 percent. More importantly, women lead us in Parliament with both the Speaker and the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces being women.

“The representation of women in the cabinet following the 2014 general elections is at 43 percent, with deputy ministers at 45.9 percent,” Zuma pointed out.

He said progress was also showing in local government.

“Following the 2011 local government elections, the representation of women in local councils is at 38.4 percent, compared to 28.2 percent in 2000. Women constitute about 33 percent of the judges in our judiciary. The judiciary had two white women in 1994.

“Now, in democracy, there are 61 women judges, of which 48 are black women. Furthermore, we have two women judge presidents and a woman deputy judge president.”

Zuma said women constituted about 41 percent of the total number of magistrates. Women were also represented in the Judicial Service Commission and the Magistrates’ Commission. “Women make up almost 40 percent of the senior management in the public service. Diplomatic appointments of women have also increased dramatically.

“In 2001, only eight women, constituting 17.4 percent of the total number, were serving as heads of missions abroad. As of last year, women accounted for 29 percent of appointed ambassadors, high commissioners and consuls-general.

“But there is still much room for improvement,” Zuma added.

While progress had been made in the public sector, the private sector was lagging behind, he said. “The Employment Equity Report showed that in 2014, women accounted for only 21 percent of executive management and 32 percent of senior management posts,” Zuma pointed out.

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The Star

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