23 March 2001
THE GENDER LECTURE CO-HOSTED BY THE OFFICE ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN AND UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA
Members of the Diplomatic Corp
Deans and Faculty members from the University of Pretoria and
other academic institutions
Members of the International communities
Students and distinguished guests
It is a pleasure for me to close this lecture, which is the first of its kind hosted by the Presidency. This is a significant event marking a seminal point in our unfolding progression towards gender equality. It is a long journey, one that we may find exciting, challenging and yes often difficult.
Within the framework of the project life cycle, our progression towards gender equality is a journey that is punctuated by essential milestones that must be achieved if we are to realise our national goal of gender equality. It is a carefully structured journey.
One that must persist until all South African women have equal access to opportunities and resources of government.
Let us celebrate an important milestone. The milestone being the adoption of the gender policy framework by Cabinet in December 2000. The policy framework titled: South Africa's National Framework for Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality will facilitate the structured implementation of our gender programmes.
This action by Cabinet challenges all of us to translate national principles of gender equality into meaningful programmes that are measurable. If we are to improve the status of women we must meet this challenge. We must move collectively on this journey and put content to the vision enshrined in our constitution.
When the Presidency began the journey in 1997, we were aware that we had a steep road ahead of us. It was challenging in view of the reality that we were initiating a new process of leveling the playing field and narrowing inequalities shaped by decades of structured discrimination. This discrimination based on race and gender had a negative impact on women. The lives of African women, in particular, were severely regulated by the guiding policies of the day. Thus, they felt the impact of this discrimination more keenly.
To lessen these inequalities it was essential that we not only build structures to promote equitable access but craft processes that will begin to change mind sets and approaches to the most disadvantaged of our constituencies. Thus, we formed such structures as the Office on the Status of Women at national and provincial levels, Gender Focal Points and The Commission on Gender Equality to propose and devise mechanisms that will bring about a more inclusive approach in the working of government.
We can state without equivocation that the gender programme, together with other transformation programmes, such as the Disability and Children's programmes, began from a zero base.
Unlike other sectoral programmes, we inherited no infrastructure with which to implement these programmes. Today, we have made significant strides in establishing systems that will assist us in integrating these essential cross-cutting issues in government's operations.
The adoption of the policy framework, and thus this lecture, locates the process of delivery solidly in this implementation phase of our journey towards Gender equality. We must rapidly move towards the active process of delivery. Delivery to the millions of women who live below the poverty line.
The policy framework facilitates this process of service delivery by proposing very specific indicators whereby we can set realistic targets. Targets are essential. They are particularly crucial in our gender programmes, which must address the longstanding inequalities experienced by women all over the country.
The lecture begins the process of empowering practitioners and policy makers by providing them with a common understanding of concepts and framework for delivery. Such understanding will form the basis upon which we can collectively devise mechanisms and strategies that must guide delivery. It is only by embarking upon this process that we can achieve established targets.
I hope that the Gender Focal Points, who must facilitate implementation in departments, were able to glean what is expected of them. For members of civil society, this forum should serve as the beginning of a dialogue whereby we can share experiences and devise feasible strategies that can successfully advance gender equality. To the students, this has been an important exposure issues related to the convergence of theory with practice. To our partners represented here today, I am certain that you have a sense of the tasks ahead of the South African gender programme. This assessment should enable you to engage the OSW in defining a working relationship with the Presidency.
The lecture has highlighted our approach to gender programmes. It touched on the important factors which affirm that in structuring implementation and shaping the processes of delivery we are guided by the fact that women are a diverse demographic group. Therefore, in defining programmes we are sensitive to the disproportionate burden of poverty carried by African women living in rural areas.
These considerations of gender, race and class are central in our programme design, implementation and evaluation. They are also the key issues for consideration in the upcoming World Conference against Racism. The policy framework, by its focus on basic needs, affirms an integrated approach that prioritises the needs of African women who dominate, in numbers, those we term the poorest of the poor.
It is therefore not surprising that the Presidency prioritizes the Sustainable Integrated Rural Strategy as a programme that will receive particular attention in government's delivery to women of this country.
Let me conclude by saying that, while the staff and officials in the Office on the Status of Women including Gender Focal Points are marshals and foot soldiers of the national gender programme, all South Africans are directly responsible for the final outcome of this programme.
In keeping with this approach, I want to thank the University of Pretoria; in particular, the Unit on Policy Studies, for extending a hand of partnership to the OSW. This collaboration will result in an innovative programme of Capacity Building for our cadres in the national gender programme. Supported by the United Nations Development Programme, this partnership signals a significant point in our proactive measures to engage stakeholders at the national and international levels. Developing partnership is essential if we are to successfully deliver sound programmes. Towards this end we thank the UNDP for their financial support and the University of Pretoria for providing the technical base.
"Batho ba geso musi ga go thunye"
Thank you all for coming to this lecture.