A Vote for Women
With its Deputy President, 43 per cent of its Cabinet, more than 30 per cent of its Members of Parliament and 20 of its Ambassadors women, South Africa occupies one of the top spots in world rankings as far as women representation is concerned. South African Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, HE Yacoob Abba Omar, explains how this was achieved and the challenges his country still faces in promoting women’s role in society

When Nelson Mandela became President in 1994, the new South Africa was faced with a situation where the black people – who are in the majority – were the poorest in the country. Decades of apartheid had left a legacy of illiteracy and a lack of skills, the worst affected being black women. It was this ‘double oppression’ of women – on the basis of race and gender – which the government decided to address with great urgency.

The strides made over the past 13 years are impressive. In the early 1990s, almost 28 per cent had no schooling at all. By 2001, almost 90 per cent were receiving some education and by 2006, universal education for young women was the norm. At that time, women occupied about 8 per cent of managerial positions in the private sector. By 2005, this had risen to almost 15 per cent.

Oman and South Africa share many features, perhaps the most striking being our leaders’ commitment to uplifting the status of women in society. Women in South Africa have ensured throughout our history that they will fight, and fight hard, for their emancipation.

In 1954, South African women drew up a Women’s Charter, declaring in its preamble that “We, the women of South Africa, declare our aim of striving for the removal of all laws, regulations, conventions, and customs acting against us as women, and that deprive us in any way of our inherent right to the advantages and opportunities that society offers to any one section of the population.”

On August 9, 1956, women from all race groups were mobilised to support the demands of the Women’s Charter. Thousands marched to the seat of political power in Pretoria. The importance of that day can be appreciated by the fact that in the new South Africa, August 9 is celebrated as Women’s Day.

The advances women have enjoyed in recent years are largely due to their continued involvement in the political and economic life of our country. Long after 1956, women continue to occupy senior positions in provincial governments, where four of the nine premiers are women; in the Constitutional Court, and in the public service, where they make up about 53 per cent of the labour force.

Political will
Three elements have ensured this spectacular progress: leading from the front, gender mainstreaming and legal protection. President Mbeki’s statement is indicative of the tone the leaders’ have set out: “No government in South Africa could ever claim to represent the will of the people if it failed to address the central task of the emancipation of women in all its elements.”

The former Speaker of the House, Ms Frene Ginwala, as well as the current Speaker, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and Deputy President, Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, are but four examples of women in high-profile positions who hold up high the flag of women’s emancipation. High-level coordination of gender-related issues is made possible through the Office of the Status of Women (OSW) in the President’s Office. The OSW works through gender focal points in each of the government departments.

Social campaigns
Gender mainstreaming has been facilitated by ongoing campaigns to raise awareness amongst men and women of the rights and protections women enjoy. Key pieces of legislation empowering women have been enacted. These give expression to the constitutional rights affecting women. Government policy has also taken steps against the feminisation of poverty. These include free healthcare for pregnant mothers and for children up to six years old.

The Government has also required businesses to submit a detailed breakdown of the composition of their workforce and ownership. Sectoral charters have been developed, setting out the target each economic sector is supposed to achieve, with clear timeframes. Businesses and government bodies are required to submit plans to achieve gender representation and give annual reports on their progress. These measures have seen women unemployment slowly decline while per capita income has increased.

Upholding rights
The government has set up a Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), with the task of investigating cases where women’s rights have been ignored. The November 2006 issue of Leadership magazine reported this case illustrating the kind of challenges women still face in South Africa: The father of two young girls died in a rural area which was covered by African Customary Law. Such law recognises legal title only through the male line and hence the girls could not inherit their father’s property. The CGE took the case up to the Constitutional Court, which declared that male primogeniture was unconstitutional. The CGE was careful to show that the girls were not against their customs and traditions, except where these went against constitutional guarantees.

While women make up 24 per cent of the senior management in the Public Services, there is a recognition that much has to be done before this sector becomes truly representative of South African society. There also remains much to be done in the private sector. Women remain under-represented on the boards of corporations – only 7.1 per cent compared to about 8.4 per cent in Australia, 11.2 per cent in Canada, and almost 14 per cent in the US. This is notwithstanding the successes women have shown in opening and running their own businesses.

Public surveys have shown that all women are not aware of their rights and that men have to increase their commitment to the emancipation of women. In this regard, President Mbeki declared on August 9 this year that the “struggle to emancipate, empower and liberate our women cannot be complete without the full participation of our men.”

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