Pretoria, 9 August 2000
Issued by: Office of the Presidency
Director of Ceremonies and Speaker of the
National Assembly, Dr Frene Ginwala,
Premier Mbhazima Shilowa,
Your Worship Mayor Ngele of Greater Pretoria,
Minister Ben Ngubane,
Deputy Minister Brigitte Mabandla,
Deputy Minister Routledge-Madlala,
Distinguished Women Veterans,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We meet here today on National Women's Day to unveil the Women's Monument that both commemorates and celebrates the contribution of women to the struggle for freedom and justice in South Africa.
I am pleased that we have among us today so many of the women veterans of our struggle for liberation. We are proud to be in the midst of so many great women whose courageous efforts and visionary leadership helped to bring us to where we are today.
Through the erection of this monument we do not only look back at the past heroic deeds of the women of our land, but we also seek to celebrate the continued achievements of the women of this country as they too together with the men and for future generations seek to lay the foundations for a better life.
We seek to trace a journey that had as its important milestone the historic march of 1956 and continues even today with conscious interventions and ongoing strides towards women's empowerment and the full attainment of gender equality in every sphere of life.
We pay tribute to the 20 000 women who marched on Pretoria in 1956 and honour them for their selfless contribution to the struggle to bring about a free and democratic country and to place gender equality on the national agenda as a central part of our democratic revolution.
Today as we recall that historic march, we also remember the words of Dora Tamana, one of the founding members of the Federation of South African Women, when shortly before her death at the age of 82, she said: You who have no work, speak. You who have no homes, speak. You who have no schools speak. You who have to run like chickens from the vultures, speak=85We must free ourselves=85I opened the road for you.
(Dora Tamana 1901-1983).
These powerful words were those of a leader, a visionary, a democrat, and a life-long freedom fighter.
In struggling for their rights and for our rights, these women did indeed 'open the road' that future generations would walk to free themselves.
Today we remember not only Dora Tamana, but all the women of our land including the torchbearers such as Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Mary Moodley, Dorothy Nyembe, Ida Mntwana, Ray Alexander, Florence Mophosho, Ruth First and Albertina Sisulu.
We recall the song of the marchers in 1956, the familiar words of which are forever imprinted on our national consciousness: "You have tampered with women, You have struck a rock. You have dislodged a boulder. You will be crushed." As we officially launch the Women's Monument, we pay tribute to our mothers, sisters and daughters who were and are equal combatants for the all-round liberation of all our people.
We remember the protests of South African women during the 1950s in the towns and the rural areas as they protested against the pass laws apartheid oppression.
The 1950s were a special era of struggle for women for a variety of reasons. In addition to the event we commemorate today, the decade saw the adoption of the Charter of Women's Rights by the Federation of South African Women.
The demands found in the Charter have their basis in a rich history of struggle against all forms of oppression and gender discrimination.
The Charter called for the right to vote, the right to full employment opportunities, equal rights with men in relation to property, marriage and children and for the removal of all laws and restrictive customs that deny women such equal rights.
The Women's Charter called for compulsory and free education for all children and the removal of laws that restrict movement and all oppressive laws. The Charter has therefore shaped what we are still striving to achieve in the now liberated South Africa.
During the first six years of our new democracy, much has been done to advance the cause of the emancipation of South African women. In this regard, we must all salute the important work being carried out by such bodies as the Commission for Gender Equality and the Office on the Status of Women, which is charged with ensuring that gender concerns are incorporated into government policy.
But today we also have in place an enabling environment conducive to advancing social transformation that sees gender transformation as an integral part of this process. Leaving aside amendments to the laws, not less than 31 statutes have been passed in South Africa that make significant contributions to the struggle for gender equality and the upliftment of women.
Our journey itself has not been and will not be without its setbacks and difficulties. We face the challenge of reconstruction in a country where women, especially those in rural areas are still among the poorest of the poor and the most marginalised from social and economic advancement. Today we face the scourge of disease, including AIDS.
One of our biggest challenges is the implementation and conversion of the policies we have put in place so that they have concrete meaning to the women of our country.
South Africa is signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and is also committed to the Beijing Platform of Action. We also participated in the Beijing plus Five Conference in New York on the 5 to 9 June 2000.
The democratic government is committed to deepening our democracy through ensuring continued public participation in the planning, legislative and policy-making processes of the country.
Government is committed to strengthening the National Gender Machinery so that we are able to enhance the capacity of its various components.
The form that women's participation takes at this crucial time of transition will have a significant impact on the shape of the resulting democracy, as well as the subsequent impact of new democratic institutions on the lives of women.
Our resolve as a government is to ensure the progress made in increasing the number of women in decision-making positions at all levels of the political structure translates into real empowerment of women. It is only through the active involvement of women in political organizations, in research groups, in civic education and through advocacy that we truly strengthen our democracy.
We must ensure that women are organized to bring about their effective participation in the economy, in the arts and through culture, in our heritage, and in science and technology.
Women can and are successfully intervening in policy formulation by collectively articulating the concerns of women and advocating programmes, which cater for the specific needs of women.
We are happy to support the initiative to continue documenting the success stories of women who continue to transform the landscape of our nation in all the sectors.
While on this occasion we pay tribute to the strength of the women who participated in the struggle for national liberation, to their sacrifice, unity, and to the rich tradition of organization and mobilization of women, today we must also pay tribute to the pioneering and significant role of women today in the arts, in the sciences, in education, in health, in business, and in community development.
Only with the full participation of South African women can we bring about the sustained economic development we speak so much about. Only with the contribution of women in our rural areas can we bring an end to the poverty of our people and create a truly better life for all.
It is my pleasure to unveil the national Women's monument.
We know that generations to come will continue to remember and to follow in the footsteps of those twenty thousand women who opened the road for us, who put us on the path to freedom that we are still constructing and cementing each and every day.
I thank you.
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