Date: 26/08/2004
Source: Ministry of Provincial and Local Government
Title: N Hangana: Women in Local Government conference
SPEECH DELIVERED BY DEPUTY MINISTER FOR PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, NOMATYALA HANGANA, AT THE WOMEN IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE, 26 August 2004
Programme Director;
Honourable Mayors;
Honourable Councillors;
Distinguished guests and
All protocols observed
Malibongwe!!!
It gives me pleasure to be participating in this event. The month of August is a special one for the women of South Africa and all those who recognise the role that women continue to play in striving for fairness, equality and a just society. As we celebrate our Ten Years of Freedom, we have witnessed positive changes in the lives of men and women in our country. Significant in these changes have been the recognition of women as full citizens and the introduction of legislation that acknowledges their rights to protection, security, development and participation in social, economic and political decision-making.
This month we remember and celebrate the achievements of women since that historic march to the Union Buildings in 1956. We will be retracing the steps that these gallant heroines of our struggle took on that day at the end of this month, 31 August 2004. We expect the women of South Africa to come out in their thousands for this march to the Union Buildings, this time, not because we have grievances to hand over to President Thabo Mbeki, but to celebrate and say thank you to millions of women who came before us and led the assault on the apartheid state.
We are fortunate to have the leadership that we have in President Thabo Mbeki who continues to build on the foundation laid by his predecessor, Mr Nelson Mandela in improving the status of women in society. We are proud of various policies, legislation and structures aimed at improving the quality of life of women in our country. These include the high representation of women in political and administrative offices, the recently launched Presidential Women's Working Group, all the constitutional bodies that strengthen democracy. The onus is on us to take advantage of the opportunities this presents and make a difference in the communities we serve. While our mothers and sisters had to demand recognition of their rights, we have the recognition and the space to exercise these rights.
For the past two years the Department of Provincial and Local Government (dplg) has convened, in partnership with others, annual events for women in local government. A resolution was passed in the 2002 Women in Local Government Summit held in Pretoria to hold an annual conference. A national conference was held in Mogale City in August 2003. While different themes were used in each event, the main purpose has been the development of capacity among women for leadership; to identify their role in the implementation of national, sub-regional and African Union programmes to advance issues affecting women. We are here today to participate at an event organised by partners as representatives of municipalities nationwide.
Issues identified in the 2002 Summit were not significantly different from those discussed in Mogale City. As we engage on issues that affect our lives and those of other women in communities, let us assess where we are in addressing the challenges identified in the past two years. I would like to make reference to a few:
(i) Facilitating service delivery in an integrated and efficient manner
(ii) Development of a national gender policy for municipalities
(iii) Targeting 33% employment for women
(iv) Representation of women in mayoral and executive committees. What are our plans for lobbying political parties in the 2005-06 local government elections?
(v) Development of well-resourced transformation (gender equality) structures within local government structures
(vi) Establishment of a national team to follow-up on conference resolutions and implementation
(vii) Development of a strategy to increase the public profile of women councillors to ensure that women's work is reported valued and credited
(viii) Development of monitoring and evaluation tools regarding transformation
I hope there will be discussion on how far we have come in addressing the concerns raised at the past two meetings, as well as the implementation of strategies that we identified ourselves.
While we have made gains for which many countries envy us, we have yet to ensure that every single one of us enjoy the provisions made within legislation, policies and programmes. The local government sphere is where direct service provision mostly takes place. The challenges in local government are enormous and wide-ranging, and affect both service provides and the intended beneficiaries of service. Apart from the necessary shift from pure service delivery to developmental local government, institutional capacity building and local government transformation, we are faced with the challenges of HIV and AIDS. Mayors have taken resolutions on this issue and I hope conference will evaluate progress made in this regard.
This issue is very important for social cohesion as we approach the final phase of local government transition. The Department has undertaken a profiling exercise of our municipalities looking at issues of service delivery. We looked at measures such as the provision of water and sanitation, electricity; refuse removal, poverty and unemployment to specifically assess how our municipalities fare in these important service delivery indicators. The outcome of this exercise has led to a government-wide programme of action for local government, Project Consolidate. We have consulted seven of our provinces so far, with the exception of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng on this programme that has been endorsed by Cabinet. From then on, together with provinces, the Department in partnership with the South African Local Government Association will be consulting with municipalities. It is important that while this process is underway, we as women in local government begin to grab this opportunity and influence the direction that these services are provided, both as beneficiaries and as service providers.
The recent launch of the R15, 6 billion Municipal Infrastructure Grant about two weeks ago does not only provide women with job opportunities, but opportunities for them to become entrepreneurs and create their own businesses. This is one of the ways that will assist in bringing women into the mainstream of the economy. As you sit here as mayors, councillors and officials, you have power to change the conditions of our women for the better. The question is, are we doing it? If not, can we discuss this issue in the commissions because this conference would have failed if we do not come up with ways of creating space for women to unleash their potential.
In order to address gender inequality, structural changes to meet the strategic gender needs are necessary. An important are is to strengthen women's participation in the political process. Their political participation can be a means not only to improve women's contribution but also to benefit from the development process.
Presently in South Africa, more women are serving as Ministers, Members of Parliament and so forth than eve before. However, despite all noticeable changes, women still have a long way to go. There are three main reasons for the call for increasing political participation of women and these are:
* To influence the future direction of development
* To have women's issues on the agenda and
* To bring about the transformation of politics
Transformational politics are issue based, development orientated and gender responsive. They seek economic, social and political equity that is just and humane, and a way of life that is sustainable. T o achieve this vision, a critical mass of women holding power is regarded as being very necessary. There is a growing awareness that the low participation of women results in politics results in our unequal distribution of economic and social benefits. Consequently, there is an urgent need to promote women participation in political decision-making.
In many quarters, there is a strong feeling that quotas cannot solve the problems of women's unequal access to political power and that these quotas will result in a continuation of discrimination against women. Others claim that quotas are not in conformity with the Constitution that stipulates that men and women are equal. Our country has chosen the route of quotas in order to ensure that women are granted their full constitutional rights in government structures. Government has succeeded fairly with this strategy, but we are left wanting in the private sector.
In conclusion, our coming together should include showcasing our achievements in the implementation of strategies that we ourselves have designed. I made reference to the positive environment that we enjoy in respect of improving the quality of life and status of women. These are commitments that have to be translated into strategies by none other than the likes of people in this hall. These are commitments that we have to raise awareness about and use to mobilise communities and resources.
I thank you
Issued by: Ministry of Provincial and Local Government
26 August 2004
Source: Ministry of Provincial and Local Government
Title: N Hangana: Women in Local Government conference
SPEECH DELIVERED BY DEPUTY MINISTER FOR PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, NOMATYALA HANGANA, AT THE WOMEN IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE, 26 August 2004
Programme Director;
Honourable Mayors;
Honourable Councillors;
Distinguished guests and
All protocols observed
Malibongwe!!!
It gives me pleasure to be participating in this event. The month of August is a special one for the women of South Africa and all those who recognise the role that women continue to play in striving for fairness, equality and a just society. As we celebrate our Ten Years of Freedom, we have witnessed positive changes in the lives of men and women in our country. Significant in these changes have been the recognition of women as full citizens and the introduction of legislation that acknowledges their rights to protection, security, development and participation in social, economic and political decision-making.
This month we remember and celebrate the achievements of women since that historic march to the Union Buildings in 1956. We will be retracing the steps that these gallant heroines of our struggle took on that day at the end of this month, 31 August 2004. We expect the women of South Africa to come out in their thousands for this march to the Union Buildings, this time, not because we have grievances to hand over to President Thabo Mbeki, but to celebrate and say thank you to millions of women who came before us and led the assault on the apartheid state.
We are fortunate to have the leadership that we have in President Thabo Mbeki who continues to build on the foundation laid by his predecessor, Mr Nelson Mandela in improving the status of women in society. We are proud of various policies, legislation and structures aimed at improving the quality of life of women in our country. These include the high representation of women in political and administrative offices, the recently launched Presidential Women's Working Group, all the constitutional bodies that strengthen democracy. The onus is on us to take advantage of the opportunities this presents and make a difference in the communities we serve. While our mothers and sisters had to demand recognition of their rights, we have the recognition and the space to exercise these rights.
For the past two years the Department of Provincial and Local Government (dplg) has convened, in partnership with others, annual events for women in local government. A resolution was passed in the 2002 Women in Local Government Summit held in Pretoria to hold an annual conference. A national conference was held in Mogale City in August 2003. While different themes were used in each event, the main purpose has been the development of capacity among women for leadership; to identify their role in the implementation of national, sub-regional and African Union programmes to advance issues affecting women. We are here today to participate at an event organised by partners as representatives of municipalities nationwide.
Issues identified in the 2002 Summit were not significantly different from those discussed in Mogale City. As we engage on issues that affect our lives and those of other women in communities, let us assess where we are in addressing the challenges identified in the past two years. I would like to make reference to a few:
(i) Facilitating service delivery in an integrated and efficient manner
(ii) Development of a national gender policy for municipalities
(iii) Targeting 33% employment for women
(iv) Representation of women in mayoral and executive committees. What are our plans for lobbying political parties in the 2005-06 local government elections?
(v) Development of well-resourced transformation (gender equality) structures within local government structures
(vi) Establishment of a national team to follow-up on conference resolutions and implementation
(vii) Development of a strategy to increase the public profile of women councillors to ensure that women's work is reported valued and credited
(viii) Development of monitoring and evaluation tools regarding transformation
I hope there will be discussion on how far we have come in addressing the concerns raised at the past two meetings, as well as the implementation of strategies that we identified ourselves.
While we have made gains for which many countries envy us, we have yet to ensure that every single one of us enjoy the provisions made within legislation, policies and programmes. The local government sphere is where direct service provision mostly takes place. The challenges in local government are enormous and wide-ranging, and affect both service provides and the intended beneficiaries of service. Apart from the necessary shift from pure service delivery to developmental local government, institutional capacity building and local government transformation, we are faced with the challenges of HIV and AIDS. Mayors have taken resolutions on this issue and I hope conference will evaluate progress made in this regard.
This issue is very important for social cohesion as we approach the final phase of local government transition. The Department has undertaken a profiling exercise of our municipalities looking at issues of service delivery. We looked at measures such as the provision of water and sanitation, electricity; refuse removal, poverty and unemployment to specifically assess how our municipalities fare in these important service delivery indicators. The outcome of this exercise has led to a government-wide programme of action for local government, Project Consolidate. We have consulted seven of our provinces so far, with the exception of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng on this programme that has been endorsed by Cabinet. From then on, together with provinces, the Department in partnership with the South African Local Government Association will be consulting with municipalities. It is important that while this process is underway, we as women in local government begin to grab this opportunity and influence the direction that these services are provided, both as beneficiaries and as service providers.
The recent launch of the R15, 6 billion Municipal Infrastructure Grant about two weeks ago does not only provide women with job opportunities, but opportunities for them to become entrepreneurs and create their own businesses. This is one of the ways that will assist in bringing women into the mainstream of the economy. As you sit here as mayors, councillors and officials, you have power to change the conditions of our women for the better. The question is, are we doing it? If not, can we discuss this issue in the commissions because this conference would have failed if we do not come up with ways of creating space for women to unleash their potential.
In order to address gender inequality, structural changes to meet the strategic gender needs are necessary. An important are is to strengthen women's participation in the political process. Their political participation can be a means not only to improve women's contribution but also to benefit from the development process.
Presently in South Africa, more women are serving as Ministers, Members of Parliament and so forth than eve before. However, despite all noticeable changes, women still have a long way to go. There are three main reasons for the call for increasing political participation of women and these are:
* To influence the future direction of development
* To have women's issues on the agenda and
* To bring about the transformation of politics
Transformational politics are issue based, development orientated and gender responsive. They seek economic, social and political equity that is just and humane, and a way of life that is sustainable. T o achieve this vision, a critical mass of women holding power is regarded as being very necessary. There is a growing awareness that the low participation of women results in politics results in our unequal distribution of economic and social benefits. Consequently, there is an urgent need to promote women participation in political decision-making.
In many quarters, there is a strong feeling that quotas cannot solve the problems of women's unequal access to political power and that these quotas will result in a continuation of discrimination against women. Others claim that quotas are not in conformity with the Constitution that stipulates that men and women are equal. Our country has chosen the route of quotas in order to ensure that women are granted their full constitutional rights in government structures. Government has succeeded fairly with this strategy, but we are left wanting in the private sector.
In conclusion, our coming together should include showcasing our achievements in the implementation of strategies that we ourselves have designed. I made reference to the positive environment that we enjoy in respect of improving the quality of life and status of women. These are commitments that have to be translated into strategies by none other than the likes of people in this hall. These are commitments that we have to raise awareness about and use to mobilise communities and resources.
I thank you
Issued by: Ministry of Provincial and Local Government
26 August 2004
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