Pretoria, 24 August 2001
The Minister and Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry
Members of the DTI Women's Forum
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure to be with you here tonight, to celebrate with you, the launch of the Department of Trade and Industry Women's Forum.
It is an important occasion given the role the Forum is going to play in the advancement of women within the outside the DTI family.
The launch is taking place against the background of great strides that the country has made with regards to moving towards improving the status of women.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 103 of 1996, guarantees freedom from discrimination along the lines of gender. In addition, South Africa is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), adopted by the United Nations in 1979.
Parliament has also established the Commission on Gender Equality, aimed at enhancing the equality of the sexes. These is also the Office on the Status of Women in the Presidency of the country, also proving the commitment of government.
In addition, there are laws that have been passed by Parliament which are meant to improve the status of women in the workplace. These include the Employment Equity Act and the Skills Development Act, which compels employers to address the gender and race imbalances.
The environment has also changed and now more women holding influential positions, particularly in politics in our country, for example the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Members of the Cabinet and Deputy Ministers, as well as provincially. The Free State, for example, has a woman premier and there are several women MECs in other provinces.
Clearly, great strides have already been made in the empowerment of women in our country. In this regard, the formation of the DTI Women's Forum is yet another innovative way of taking the empowerment further at the level of service delivery.
Indeed, women have contributed positively to the country as caregivers, liberators, and also through development work in our communities. The celebration of National Women's Day is a dedication to the sweat, energies and great ideas contributed by women.
Women need should keep to this tradition of taking part in the processes which are aimed at changing our country for the better. Wherever women come in, as an organised formation, their impact has always been felt.
As we launch the Forum, it is important to also focus on challenges that continue to plague women in our country, such as poverty and illiteracy, abuse, and unemployment, as well as under-representation of women in industries, corporates, enterprises and the broader economic decision making forums.
Members of the Forum should be able to contribute towards dealing with these problems, within their respective spheres of operation. This Department is better placed to handle these challenges. It is mandated with attracting investments and boosting economic growth and development, generating employment and entrepreneurship, and empowering the historically disadvantage.
We know that this mandate cannot be fully achieved without the participation of women within the DTI family. The Department is an important entry point for women who want to become involved in economic activity, and a Forum such as this will certainly add value and meaning to the economic empowerment of women.
That is why I commend you on launching the DTI Women's Forum as it will assist you in better co-ordination your efforts for the good of our country.
I am pleased to hear that some male colleagues contributed as it shows the maturity of realising that improving the status of women is not just a women's issue, it is everybody's issue.
I am also impressed to hear that under the campaign "DTI Women Soaring to Greater Heights", the process has unfolded through various activities both inside and outside the department as part of the gender programme. It is encouraging to see women public officials organising and supporting each to improve service delivery.
This Forum should also be used as a platform for nurturing young women to enable them to achieve their full potential within and outside the DTI family. It is also well-known that if women get involved in anything, it means that the whole nation is involved.
That is why it is also said that if you teach or provide skills to women, you are developing a nation.
In that vain, I would like to congratulate the Minister and Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry and the Director-General, and most importantly as well, all the women and men who worked hard to get the Forum off the ground.
It is an important initiative, and I wish you all the best and hope this formation will grow from strength to strength.