The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

On 9 August 2011 the 55th anniversary of National Women's Day - the African National Congress (ANC) pays tribute to countless unsung heroines of our the struggle for freedom in South Africa for their immense contribution in our liberation.
As we celebrate the noble role women have played to transform the country from the tyranny of apartheid to constitutional democracy, we also pay particular tribute to those who have made supreme sacrifices and could sadly not live longer to see the dawn of democracy, they so much fought for. They include such selfless struggle icons as Victoria Mxenge, Lilian Ngoyi, Charlotte Maxeke, Molly Blackburn, Dulcie September and Helen Joseph.
While this marks a time to salute women for the role they have played, we should equally reflect on challenges women continue to face in society, which include workplace gender marginalisation, domestic violence and sexual harassment. Also of great concern to the ANC is the slow pace of African women empowerment at workplace, which according to the latest Commission on Employment Equity (CEE) Annual Report only account for 0.8 percent of those at top management level. In paying tribute to women, the ANC calls on captains of industry to redress this huge imbalance by speeding up women empowerment particularly when it comes to the previously disadvantaged.
Let us also think of women farm workers who earn a living as seasonal employees. For them, their main concern is to earn a wage to be able to put food on the table for their families. It is the plight and hardship of rural women that those elected to Parliament and provincial legislatures, should continue to highlight. We should ensure that issues that daily impact on women, are kept on the national agenda.
Despite the many challenges women still face, we can look back with pride at the gains the country has thus far achieved, especially in the area of gender equality. The fact that women leaders are found in labour, Government and business, demonstrates how we have embraced women empowerment.
The ANC has been in the forefront of many struggles that have ensured that the emancipation of women is not merely a dream but a reality. Although much has been done to recognise and empower South African women, we share the view that the struggle for women emancipation remains an incomplete project if choices women have to make, are primarily influenced by their economic status.
The creation of the Ministry for Women, Children and the Disabled was a conscious decision by the ANC. It sends a clear message that the ANC-led Government is committed to improve the lives of the working class and the poor in a society where the triple oppression of women reigns unabated. Women, children and those with disabilities are still at the receiving end of societal oppression.
The ANC decision to fast track rural infrastructure development has shifted the focus of women emancipation - from the debate on parity to a debate about realities that women continue to face on a daily basis.
While we have come a long way and achieved much, we believe that much more still has to be done.