SA women open dialogue
Tumelo Modisane
6 July 2005
The halls of the University of Pretoria that usually echo with academic dialogue are echoing with a dialogue of a different kind: ululating, beating of drums, and women singing "ayaduma amakhosikazi 50 percent!" ("We demand 50 percent representation for women [in government]").
Amaqoqo, the great ones, began their conversation at the third annual South African Women in Dialogue (Sawid) forum at the Universiteitsoord Dutch Reformed Church on the Pretoria University campus, where the atmosphere is electric. The four-day forum ends on Friday 8 July.
Welcoming the delegates, Sawid chairperson Brigalia Bam said that the gathering gave women a spiritual base and a sense of belonging.
"This is a movement that cuts across class, age, and political ideology, and gives us the opportunity to be ourselves," Bam said.
"Here we have the opportunity to talk about our hopes, vision, frustrations, achievements, and this is the place where
we don't have to be modest. We affirm our identity as women."
Bam paid tribute to Sawid's patron, First Lady Zanele Mbeki, who envisioned the movement.
Bam, who is also the chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission, urged the delegates to register for the local government elections on the third of September.
Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, patron of Sawid's youth constituency, said that for young women the sky was the limit. "They have time on their side and support from their country. They just need to seize the opportunity."
Mlambo-Ngcuka emphasised the need to continue to canvass and articulate issues faced by young women.
She added that comprehensive leadership was important in addressing these issues.
The primary objective of this year's Sawid dialogue is to receive a report on the United Nations 49th Commission on the Status of Women held in New York in March, where the implementation of the Beijing Platform of Action was
reviewed
Referring to the commission's observations on the marginalisation of women, the Deputy President said that more than 50% of the world's population was made up of women.
"Women in all society do two thirds of the world's work - that is work in and outside of the home even if it is not paid for - yet they own one eighth of the world's wealth."
This, she said, does not add up.
"We [the government] have chosen to mainstream gender and make it everyone's problem; however we need to make the regulatory and legislative framework work for women."
Mlambo-Ngcuka was quick to assure males that women do not wish to oppress them but are seeking their fair share in leadership, participation and responsibility.
Speaking to BuaNews, Eastern Cape Premier Nosimo Balindlela said, "The Deputy President has given us direction for the next ten years. We have a provincial growth and development plan in the Eastern Cape. However we need to address the women
component in a practical manner.
"There has been a deliberate act by government to put women forward but it's up to women to make or break it," she said.
Balindlela said she was proud of the gauntlet thrown down by Mlambo-Ngcuka that in order to build the country, a new paradigm, liberating for both men and women, was needed.
The forum will also assess South Africa's performance in terms of development in general and women in particular.
Sawid is a voluntary association of women from government, non-government and community-based organisations, coordinated by a volunteer national steering committee as well as provincial steering committees that were identified during the 2004 dialogue.
Sawid successfully hosted two national forums in 2003 and 2004 as well as the fruitful coordination of two separate peace dialogues among the women of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the women of Burundi in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
Source: BuaNews
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