Programme Director Esteemed Delegates Representatives of political parties
Distinguished Guests Comrades and Colleagues, Thank you for helping us
entrench democracy within our ranks. This superbly organised Provincial
Conference of the ANCWL in Gauteng bears testimony to our great
achievements. Not only do we look forward to democratically elected women
leaders for the province. We also look forward to revolutionary ideas and
programmes. Notwithstanding local and global challenges we face as women
 a world historically biased in favour of men, we're on track towards total
women's emancipation and gender equality. According to the 2012 SADC
Gender protocol Barometer, constitutions of most countries in our region enshrine
non-discrimination generally and non-discrimination based on sex. It says
9 SADC constitutions provide for the promotion of women and 7 have other
provisions relating to gender equality. The Barometer lists among
milestones the fact that South Africa now has a draft Gender Equality Bill
that enshrines many of the provisions of the SADC Gender Protocol.

Convening a conference of this nature shows the advances we're making in
uniting women behind the banner of the political home of progressive women
- the ANCWL. Malibongwe! Our rich heritage Comrades, we have much to
celebrate. Given our rich heritage as a league of women of the oldest
liberation movement in Africa, our task is clearly cut out for us. Since
the ANC was formed in 1912, and the Bantu Women's League in 1918, we have
distinguished ourselves as a movement commanding moral supremacy. Given
our rich heritage, we carry on our shoulders the burden of ensuring that in
our country, and in our ranks, "no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and
defile many" (Hebrews 12:15). This Conference is so vital for us in so far
as defending our gains and our movement is concerned, just as the 53rd ANC
National Conference is crucial. History, the nation and its children,
expect more of women. It is us who lead a blameless life, nurturing
families and societies. The world over, men are known to run amok, causing
wars, spreading rumours of war and throwing into turmoil currencies and
the global financial system. Thus, we have this crisis, eating at jobs,
stifling progress, undermining economic growth, letting loose the widening
gyre of inequalities and impacting negatively on development. For a better
world order, for peace and for prosperity, we need unity, collective
action and sisterhood within our ranks. In times of war, it is the women and the
children who suffer the most. In spite of our marginalisation, women have
enriched every struggle with a host of impeccable and visionary leaders
from whom we all must learn. We speak here of the indomitable spirit of
Charlotte Maxeke. We pay tribute to Lillian Ngoyi, Dorothy Nyembe, Helen
Joseph, Sophie de Bruyn, Rahima Moosa, and many others. We are forever
indebted to Charlotte Maxeke for the crucial role she had played in the
struggle. This pioneer, freedom fighter and women rights campaigner, laid
the foundation for the formation of the ANCWL. Charlotte Maxeke was the
founding president of our forerunner, the Bantu Women's League. She led
the historical Women's March against the pass laws in Bloemfontein, in 1913.

Thanks to her efforts, and of the many brave women of our country, next
year we will celebrate 100 Years of the 1913 Women's March against the
pass laws. This is the best way to honour the bravery and leadership of the
women of 1913. It is the heroic path Comrade Maxeke chose that we must
emulate. As President Jacob Zuma noted in August in the Memorial Lecture
in her honour, "Comrade Maxeke believed that women must play a leading role
in building up our movement in its struggle to defeat the enemies of the
people and achieve liberation." Our eye is still on the ball Contrary to
perceptions, we have not lost the plot. Only the ANC and the masses of our
people can keep South Africa on the direct route to a society founded on
the Freedom Charter. With Africa, we have recently celebrated the election
of Cde Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma who next week reports for duty as
Chairperson of the African Union Commission. A few hours before her tenure, we wish
her the best of luck. This development has broadened the space to intensify
the gender agenda on the continent and abroad. Gauteng cadres must show us how
to make this truly the Decade of Women. You should draw strength from the
fact that the huge strides we're making to reverse the age-old evils of
patriarchy are reverberating across the world. In this context, we hosted,
in Cape Town, the 20th Congress of Socialist International Women. Our Aim
Without fail, our approach has always recognised the intersection of the
national, gender and class questions. The constitution of the WL affirms
that women have always been part of the national liberation struggle. We
must continue to organise women for the development of South Africa. I
believe, in the second phase of the transition, our central aim should be
to build an abiding culture of human rights for all, ensuring real
equality for women and eliminating patriarchal relations, by mainstreaming gender
in all spheres. I believe if we can do these things and devise as Conference
provincial programmes around our ideals, we can realise one of key aims
and objectives of our constitution, that is: "To combat discrimination in
public and in private life, and to work actively towards the dismantling
of the patriarchal system, the elimination of laws, customs, practices and
structures which militate against equality" (ANCWL Constitution, 2008).
Challenges and threats Notwithstanding our gains, we cannot afford to be
complacent. For a new democracy like ours, with reactionary forces so
aligned against progressive forces, the price of intolerance, dishonesty
and disunity is very high to pay. The terror and tragedy of 18 September
which left us with 8 South Africans dead in Afghanistan says much about
the evils of intolerance in a divided world. The Kabul attack was more
shattering on the day when we should have been relieved by the
breakthrough in the labour dispute in Marikana, which also highlighted the pitfalls of
spontaneity, disunity and intimidation. There is still much to be done.
Gender disparities in economic power-sharing are still a factor in the
poverty of women. We know that women still earn a meagre 10% of the
world's income when they produce half of the world's food. Opportunities and
strengths We won 50% gender representation at the Polokwane conference.
Going to Mangaung, as a collective united behind a clear and decisive
pro-women agenda, we have the potential to build on our gains. It is not
enough to agree on principles. We want to see action. The question of
gender should be prioritised in each and every policy document and
programme. Our top priorities should continue to include rural
development, as a strategic campaign. Most people in rural areas are women. We're happy
that the ANC government is making inroads in those areas of development
that are fundamental for sustainably empowering women and children. For
instance in Diyatalawa and Makholokoeng, in the Free State, government is
building community infrastructure that includes schools, crèches, a
community hall, solar geysers, housing, two clinics and a dairy. In
Ludondolo, in the Eastern Cape, government is constructing the Dalibhunga
bridge in Mvezo and a 10 km access road. With President Jacob Zuma, next
week we will open 4 of 49 schools we're building in the Eastern Cape.
Looking ahead Comrades and Friends, We need to understand that without a
strong ANCWL, it would be difficult to drive organisational renewal within
the ANC. As national office and provincial Chairpersons, we've initiated
discussions in this regard - to strengthen the WL. We need to find
creativeways of driving home the message that parents should prioritise education.
Education has always been central to the struggles of women in our
country.

We need to support the call to make education a societal issue. With an
educated citizenry we can end poverty. Our country stands to benefit from
educating and empowering women. We welcome the decision on the part of
President Jacob Zuma to join nine other Heads of State as a champion of
the United Nations Education First initiative. It is intended to advocate for
greater commitment of the world to quality in education. We must keep
on the transformation agenda the proposals of the May 2012 ANCWL Policy
Workshop. We must prioritise the proposed Women's Summit on morality and
values, such as the dignity of teaching and the conduct of our teachers.
This Provincial Conference is very strategic coming up less than three
months before Mangaung. I think questions you must answer should include
the following: · What is the current role of the ANCWL in the NDR? · How
can we represent the interest of women in a globalising world? · How can
we make gender-mainstreaming a reality in all spheres of life? · How can we
revitalise the national gender machinery? · How can we remain a strong
voice for women in the face of the ensuing labour unrest and service
delivery protests? Leadership, why it matters Comrades, we're posing these
questions precisely because this has got to be a strategic moment for
serious reflection and introspection. From this Conference we expect
resolutions commensurate with challenges facing women and society. We must
not act like demagogues and opportunists who fail to resist the temptation
"to ignore the real situation," who "play about with imaginary forces,
concepts and ideals," who are blind to the failure these tendencies invite
(Strategy and Tactics, 1969). Mangaung creates a platform for us to review
and renew the mandate of loyal cadres that history charges us once more to
deploy further to advance the National Democratic Revolution. We shall not
try to leap-frog the transformation process. Assuming state power has
strengthened our resolve sharply to pursue the strategic objective of the
NDR, which is to create a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic
society. As we've said in Strategy and Tactics (1997), this means the
liberation of our people from political and economic bondage, the majority
of whom are African and women. Conclusion To conclude then, it should
be easy for us to identify and root out the "bitter root" that grows up
from time to time "to cause trouble" and "to defile many." As we said at
Morogoro: "The revolutionary-sounding phrase does not always reflect
revolutionary policy, and revolutionary-sounding policy is not always the
springboard for revolutionary advance. "Indeed what appears to be
‘militant' and ‘revolutionary' can often be counter-revolutionary"
(Strategy and Tactics, 1969). On behalf of the National Executive
Committee and loyal members of our League, I wish you all a dynamic and memorable
Conference. Wathint'abafazi! Wathint'imbokodo!