Women from all walks of life in the Western Cape province converged at the Gugulethu Indoor Sports Complex yesterday to assess progress made in advancing the objectives of the Women’s Charter, adopted by women in 1954, which is widely held to be the cornerstone of the Women’s Charter for Effective Equality, adopted by Parliament in 1994.

The Women’s Charter, which advocates for the emancipation of women from the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment, was adopted at the founding conference of the Federation of South African Women (FSAW) on 17 April 1954 in Johannesburg.

Giving the context to the inception of the charter, the Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Ms Sylvia Lucas, said the charter came into being because “women never wanted to be second citizens in the country of their birth”.

She told the participants that the theme of the event is “Twenty-Five Year Review of the Women’s Charter for Effective Equality” – and it sought to “review the charter in the current epoch”.

“Because it has been a quarter of a century since the charter was adopted, this presents itself as an ideal time to assess how far the charter has gone in advancing the women’s cause,” said Ms Lucas.

This Western Cape provincial gathering of women was a springboard for other provincial women’s gatherings that will be held in all the other provinces, and its goal is “to provide women with an opportunity to make input to influence the National Gender Machinery in dealing with the spike in gender-based violence in our country”.

The resolution that would emanate from these engagements, according to Ms Lucas, “would help Members of Parliament in conducting their oversight and to get a proper mandate from those who elected them”. 

Speaking in the event, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Thandi Modise, said the representation of the Western Cape event emulated the one that took place in 1954 which, she said, was made up of women from all walks of life irrespective of race, political affiliation or creed.

To her, the fact that the Western Cape province was the first province to start with this public hearing, was determined by the fact that the province has led the women’s struggle and strong women leaders came from the Western Cape. Furthermore, she said the sector of the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in South Africa started in the Western Cape.

“This makes the Western Cape an ideal place to start a national conversation about the Women’s Charter. It’s these NGOs that are not respected today that created space for the inception of crèches and cooperatives that play a vital role in the advancement of women’s emancipation from the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment,” emphasised Ms Modise.

Ms Modise proclaimed that “the Women’s Charter is the cornerstone of our Constitution and it must be treated as such, and be at the centre of the work of all women caucuses in all the legislatures”.

She called on all women to emulate the unity which was demonstrated by their forebears and come together for the common cause “irrespective of their party political affiliation, race or creed”. In that way, she said: “the Charter will continue to be the voice of women, many of whom are voiceless irrespective of the fact that we represent the majority of our country’s population.”

Speaking on the challenge of gender-based violence and femicide, Ms Modise said it will take women to end this scourge. “Women must start active participation in the making of laws that deter gender-based violence, and must fearlessly challenge court rulings that seem not to be sensitive to the impact of this scourge on women,” she added.

Paying tribute to women forebears, she said: “I am nothing without them. I am what I am because of the defiant spirit of Winnie Mandela and the everlasting political wisdom of Albertina Sisulu. They taught me when to retreat, when to engage and when to attack. I am nothing without their invaluable wisdom.”

Ms Modise expressed her disappointment with the work of the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE). Notwithstanding the resources the state has invested in it, she said the commission is still not visible and has done little to advance the cause of women.

The Deputy Chairperson of the Commission for Gender Equality, Dr Nthabiseng Moleko, conceded that the CGE has written many reports “but nothing tangible has emanated from those reports”. Dr Moleko said: “We are beginning to interrogate the way we do our work to ensure that we are not only barking, but we have teeth to bite. She urged those in attendance to hold the CGE accountable when need be.”

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) representatives who participated in the event, called for government intervention to assist women to secure bonds and loans for their own houses and development. They also called on women to play their part in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. However, they questioned whether the #WomensCharterReview sessions would result in actual positive improvements for women.

The Mitchells Plain-based Women to Youth Outreach non-governmental organisation has pleaded with Members of Parliament to assist them to secure finances to help youth get away from drugs by establishing more houses of safety for abused women and drug addicts in their communities.

Parliament began a series of provincial reviews of the 1994 Women’s Charter for Effective Equality, with public hearings held in Gugulethu yesterday.

Violence against women and children came out as a burning issue in the hearings, as women took turns in articulating their concerns over their safety and their children. They flagged increasing instances of rape that are perpetrated by family members, a threat they have to live with on a daily basis in their private spaces.

They also expressed concerns about the perceived ineffectiveness of the criminal justice system, as perpetrators usually come back into society after brief arrests, to continue with their acts of brutality.

Access to business opportunities for women is also another issue that was raised. Women in business were concerned that they do not get the same economic opportunities as their male counterparts. They requested that Parliament passes laws that comply with the vision of the Freedom Charter, in the interest of developing women in business.

The women pleaded for assistance in fighting drugs and substance abuse in their communities. They said their children are dying from drugs and the challenge is that drugs are easily accessible. This, they said, made them to literally be fighting a losing battle.

By Abel Mputing
20 November 2019