Issued by: Gauteng Provincial Government
12 July 2001
Women have always played a central role towards development and transformation of our society. As mothers, sisters and daughters of our nation they have been central to our families, communities and our nation at large. Accordingly they have been key players in the struggle against the oppressions and injustices perpetuated by the apartheid regime.
While there are many initiatives that aim at acknowledging the contributions that are made by the women of our nation, the Gauteng Premier's Awards aims at acknowledging primarily those unsung heroines of our past, present and future. Women within Gauteng who have managed to behind the scenes, contribute to development, sustainable growth and the basic betterment of the lives of our people.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the historic women's march to the Union Buildings. During the commemoration of this historic occasion, the Premier, Mbhazima Shilowa will host the first annual Gauteng Women's Awards to honor three women of Gauteng in the categories of women in development, women in business and women who have contributed to overall change. The awards ceremony will be held on 9 August 2001, in conjunction with the annual Women's Day Celebrations at the Pretoria Union Buildings.
In our attempt at furthering the course of co - operative governance and ensuring participation from civil society, we have invited a panel to assist us in the selection of the awardees. These leaders of our community cover a broad spectrum of expertise, ranging from women's development agencies to business and media. Their inputs have been very instrumental and effective in shaping the thinking around the issues of women and the awards. We are sure that this will continue into the selection process.
We urge the Gauteng public to continue to send in the nominations that will be representative of our democracy and cut across age, race and class. The closing date for nominations will be Friday, 27 July 2001. We owe it not only to ourselves as a nation to recognise these women, but to those very women who have contributed to the transformation of our society. It is through those very efforts that we as a nation can finally reap the fruits of our democracy.
For More Enquiries Contact:
Ereshnee Naidoo (Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture)
(011) 355 2578 / 083 296 2403