South African Association of Women Graduates

The Annual Journal of
SOUTH AFRICAN ASSOCIATION
of WOMEN GRADUATES
(formerly THE BLUESTOCKING)
2004

President: Jocelyn A. Bell: jocelynbell@iafrica.com
Vice President: Sylvia Shapshak T
Secretary: Beverley Ballard-Tremeer
Treasurer: Berna Foden
Bursar: Nishi Singh
Newsletter: Maylene Damoense
Bursary Liaison Officer: Nevensha Singh
Com. Member: Elizabeth Mathebe

In a letter to all National Federations and Associations in February 2004, the then IFUW President, Professor Reiko Aoki, wrote: In order to lay a sound foundation for peace, every right of human beings should be respected, and to lay the foundation for the respect of human rights, mainstreaming gender equity should be further enhanced and extended. Our ultimate mission as well as our unique contribution to society is, of course, to realize these goals through education.

She emphasized that we should be available to the real needs of our present society, and that there should be a change in our availability.

In this Journal we see evidence of SAAWG’s commitment to these ideals. The ongoing Mentoring Programme and the Aurora Project of the Johannesburg Branch serve to address the needs of women and girls in our South African society – scholars, students and those engaged in life-long learning. SAAWG’s Cape Town 5-0 Project which was completed in February 2004, brought manufacturing and business skills into the hands of needy women in the Western Cape. A report and poster on this 5-0 project was presented at the IFUW Conference in Perth, Australia, in 2004.

At our Annual Conference held in Johannesburg and at the Annual Luncheon of the Cape Town Branch, eminent speakers like Cheryl Gillwald (Deputy Minister Correctional Services) and Amanda Gouws (Head of Faculty of Politics, University of Stellenbosch) stressed the need for women to take their place in the decision-making process of our country in order to bring a women’s perspective to matters affecting women and children. When in August some 2000 women marched in Pretoria to commemorate the mass protest by women 48 years ago, the banner held aloft served to reaffirm for all belonging to our organization the need to play an active role as WOMEN BUILDING A BETTER SOUTH AFRICA AND A BETTER WORLD.

We are putting the expertise we’ve gained back into “growing” our communities but do not let us forget to instill in our youth the basic need of R E S P E C T for all.

Educational Developments in South Africa
Margaret Edwards, National President

We have been described as the “searching generation’. We need so many answers - answers to the larger problems of the world, answers to the conditions in our nation, and most of all, answers for ourselves.

How do we know in what direction we should go? How can we separate truth from opinion? In whom can we trust?

On one side we hear that the answer to our dilemma is education. Build bigger and better schools, hire more teachers, develop a smarter generation. Has the academic community found the answers? There are many students who are dissatisfied with being told that the sole purpose of education is to develop inquiring minds. They want to find some answers to their questions.

On the other side what do the politicians say? “We have the solutions to the problems. Elect us and we’ll prove it to you”. I am not downgrading the importance of electing honest, intelligent people to positions of leadership. This is important, terribly important, but are they able to provide the answer to the basic and visceral questions of people?

Familiar words, but in fact these were written in 1970 by Hal Lindsey in the introduction to his book The Late Great Planet Earth.

Lindsey goes on to say: “Throughout history we have seen impressive strides taken by [men] people who were stepping ahead of their time. We have seen reforms advanced from ideas generated by [men] people of vision. And yet governments, [men] people falter and fall, great ideas are sometimes rejected by the short-sightedness of other [men] people. Are we able to say that the answer is in the realm of political action?”

Lindsey’s thoughts were focussed on the influence of men, but what of women?
In South Africa there have been so many issues during the last year affecting the status of women, and during the electioneering campaigns many promises were made to attract votes. The rhetoric continues as new ministers have been appointed at national and provincial level. The appointment of Naledi Pandor as the Minister of Education has been warmly received, and it has been particularly pleasing that an Honorary member of SAAWG has been placed in this pivotal role.

With my background it is natural that I consider education to be a key issue. I am not ignoring the challenges presented by the speakers at this year’s SAAWG conference. In fact we can go a long way towards meeting these challenges by seeking to ensure that the youth of our country are properly and appropriately educated.

In 2001 the South African government set up 25 Sectoral Training Agencies (Setas) under the auspices of the Department of Labour, with the aim of providing training for people, particularly in the SMME (small, medium and micro enterprises) sector of the economy and the unemployed. The action (or lack thereof) of Setas has been very much in the news. An example is an article in The Star headed “Four years on and it is a mixed bag for Setas”. It is the contention of the writer that most businesses in South Africa only see getting their money back as the overriding benefit when it comes to participating in Seta activities. Cheryl James, CEO of Fasset, the Seta for finance and related areas, states that the benefits that accrue from participation in Setas initiatives extend far beyond any financial considerations. As you no doubt know the private sector has to pay 1% of the salary package into the Skills Development Plan.

All educational institutions fall under the Education Development and Training Providers (EDTP) Seta. Each Seta has a Quality Assurance arm. In the case of the EDTP this is the Education Training Quality Assurance (ETQA). It is there to monitor the manner in which institutions are run. The Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council of Higher Education (HCE) caused consternation when it released the results of the re-accreditation of the MBA programmes offered by 27 registered institutions - only 6 were accredited and 12 were given conditional accreditation. This is evidence that the Seta is taking its work seriously. However, I would be interested to see what criteria were used for accreditation.

Money from the Skills Development Fund of the EDTP Seta is being used to provide for Learnerships to allow students to obtain a Teacher’s Diploma. The theory is good but, in practice, difficulties have been encountered by schools working with a student involved in a Learnership. The money is not paid upfront but in three tranches, with the third being paid only after the successful conclusion of the diploma. The Learnership money goes towards fees, books and transport. In independent schools the school sponsors the student and the money is paid to the school. However, a problem arises in government schools. In this case the Education Department sponsors the student holding the Learnership and then has to claim from Seta. Very often this means that there is no financial support until the Learnership year has been completed. This makes it very difficult to persuade people to apply for Learnerships if they do not have money, and this rather defeats the aim of the Learnership Programme. It is important to remember that the school is not in any way responsible for employing the Learnership holder on completion of the qualification. The purpose of the Learnership is to enable the student to gain the qualification which will make her/him employable.

The Seta has been approached by ISASA (Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa) to introduce a new Learnership, enabling qualified teachers from disadvantaged areas, especially rural areas, to hone their skills in OBE (Outcomes Base Education) and learn updated teaching methods so as to make them more effective in their communities. Thus far there has been no response to this idea.

In the Learnership Programme ETQA accredits all service providers but not the school at which the Learnership is in place. Thus a teacher at the school mentors the student but the university where the diploma is being followed is considered the service provider.

There are two ways in which money can be claimed by a school from the Skills Development Fund:
• for a formal Learnership; or
• for a discretionary grant; this requires an enormous amount of paper work and the outcome is not guaranteed. A Work Skills Plan is required for this funding.

Because the Setas hold all the funds, they pay out for the Learnerships. It is disturbing to note that a survey done in 2003 by the South African Chamber of Business revealed that there had been a decrease of 13% in the number of companies claiming reimbursement of skills levies from the Setas. The main reason given was the enormous administrative hassles encountered when making the claim. However, the question arises - are these companies in fact running skills development programmes?

To claim the following conditions must be met:
• There has to be a Work Skills Plan for
- equity training of service staff;
- for the upgrading of a teacher’s qualification.
• A claim must be made a year ahead.
• A year later an implementation form has to be completed stating where and how the money was spent.

The Setas fall under the Department of Labour (DoL) and have DoL structures which do not necessarily suit the education sector. This causes many difficulties for schools:
- The financial year-end in March is totally out of kilter with the school year.
- In the DoL, equity training can lead to promotion from one department to another, e.g. bus driver to bookkeeper. However, in a school the skills training has to be in the person’s area of work, e.g. gardener to horticulturist or cleaner to laboratory assistant. For teachers to upgrade their qualifications the training must be within the parameters of their work experience.
- There has been a change in focus recently that allows all people to have equal access to training and this should have a positive spin-off for the schools. Every school will be required to have a Skills Development facilitator who is Seta trained:
  . At present no one is trained;
  . Training of facilitators will begin only in 2005 but from 2006 it may become mandatory to have a Seta trained facilitator;
  . This will cause difficulties for schools that do not have a programme in place or do not have a member of staff who can take on the extra work;
- Teachers appointed as Skills Development Facilitators by their schools often have to use holiday time to cope with the additional paperwork involved.

Any surplus must be paid out but many Setas have been tardy in applying this ruling. However Setas may be galvanized to act more in line with the Skills Development Amendment Act when their current period of establishment comes to an end in March 2005. All Setas will be required to apply for a renewal certificate. This re-establishment exercise should provide an opportunity to review actual performance.

A very interesting development in Gauteng is the formation of a Collaborative Fund. This has been a partnership formed between the Gauteng Department of Education and donors from the business sector. It is known as the Gauteng Department of Education Trust and operates as follows:
- Projects are put forward and assessed. If approved, the money is paid out upfront;
- There is a year-by-year application initially for a 3-year period;
- Schools work in clusters

One such collaborative scheme is run by Kingsmead Junior School with St Katharine’s School and 8 junior schools from Soweto. The trust provides the finances for:
- Organising the sharing of best practice between the teachers;
- Providing replacement teachers during this period while the teachers are away on courses;
- Teachers’ transport;
- A netball festival between the 10 schools - held at Kingsmead;
- A choir festival for the schools at Vista University in Soweto;
- A Principals’ Day twice a year.

Johannesburg is the centre of many systems set up to improve the lot of pupils and teachers and a great deal of excellent work is being done by committed teachers. I feel sure that this is the case in other areas but there are problems:
- Devolution of services has not yet been achieved.
- There is a great discrepancy in resources between provinces and there are still many disadvantaged areas.
- There is a great deal of politicizing and posturing by responsible bodies.
- Much jealousy is directed at schools where the parents are able to give financial assistance for extra staff and facilities.
- There are discrepancies in the availability of sports facilities.
- There is insufficient focus on arts and culture in many schools.
- A disturbing factor is that all librarian posts have been removed from Soweto schools.
- The use of language in the schools is very complex. Mother tongue is being used in grades 1-6 and English skills are diminishing, particularly in the rural areas. This will seriously disadvantage pupils wishing to proceed to tertiary education and will affect the language skills of those who later might want to enter the global market.
- Many teachers are feeling disempowered because they are not sure how to make their voices heard in ‘high places’ as a result of the long lines of communication. Principals are pivotal in maintaining good relationships between the school and the district.

In general I seem to have highlighted shortcomings in the educational system. Paradoxically I have not done this to be negative, but to draw attention to the fact that although there have been so many good things put in place, we need to keep a watchful eye on what is happening in all areas of education.

As an organization that is committed to furthering the development of education to influence and benefit society in our new democracy, we need to network with other organizations involved with education and with the unions in our area to ‘keep in the loop’. May I ask you to do this and report back any findings that require the attention of the National Executive Committee? Deputy Minister Cheryl Gillwald has made it abundantly clear that she will be pleased to assist the organization if we need to lobby in any area. We should certainly use a golden opportunity such as this offer presents.

Let us use our expertise to effect change where it is necessary. Let us apply our knowledge and skills to the solution of problems in all areas of public life and participate in decision-making at local and national level. In fact let us, as individuals and as an organization, be agents of change wherever and whenever we see the need.

Fifteen awards to the value of R1 000-00 were made for 2003. Below is a schedule of the recipients and the courses they are following. Eight awards were new and the balance were renewals (for students who had successfully completed their studies for 2002 but had not yet finished their degree or diploma).

UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
A Thomas, 3rd year B Mus R
DURBAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Phundile Ngqulunga, 3rd year, National Diploma
Chartered Institute of Secretaries N
TECHNIKON FREE STATE
AV Loliwe, 2nd year, Natonal Diploma Office
Management & Technology N
UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE
Elize Theron, 3rd year, BA R
MEDUNSA
Leanda van Jaarsveld, 4th year, MBCHB R
UNIVERSITY OF NATAL
BP Khuduga, 5th year, BCom R
RAND AFRIKAANS UNIVERSITY
Ilze Smith, 3rd year, B BSc Actuarial R
RHODES UNIVERSITY
L Milne, 2nd year, BA Languages N
TECHNIKON SA
Shantel Patel, 3rd year, National Diploma Child & Youth Development N
UNIVERSITY OF STELLENBOSCH
VS Bushula, 4th year, B BSc Molecular Biology N

UNIVERSITY OF PORT ELIZABETH
Tabisa Gwila, 2nd year, BMus ED N
UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE
Wanda Arnolds, 3rd year, B Psychology R
TECHNIKON WITWATERSRAND
Maeema Essop, 1st year, B Tech: Fashion R
CAPE TECHNIKON
N Adonis, 2nd year, National Diploma Food Technology N

As decided at the 2003 AGM, the recipients for 2004 will be awarded R2 000-00 each.
At this AGM (2004) Cape Town branch has presented a resolution in an attempt to clarify and finalize the situation with regard to the legacy from Kathleen Armstrong.

Edna Machanik Award: 3 awards of R600 each were made.
Candice Enoch & Joanne Mendelski – East London (Buffalo City College)
Nombongo Ntalo – Queenstown (Ikhala College)

Isie Smuts Award: 1 award of R500
Kedilatile Magdaline Leeto – University of Free State

International Fellowship Award:
R2 500 was awarded to Canadian Cangace Davidson, living in Westville, Natal.

In 1985, R15,000 from the estate of the late Hansi Pollak was given to SAAUW to fulfil a condition of her will i.e. the establishment of a Fellowship to assist women graduates in the Social Sciences to conduct research leading to a Master’s Degree or Doctorate. It was specified that the research should be aimed at “ameliorating social conditions in South Africa”, that the Fellow should spend at least two years implementing the results of her research, and that she should donate a copy of her thesis to the organization.

The R15,000 was invested in bonds and shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and the money has remained in an account at Investec Securities since that date. At the end of the year 2003, the market value of the portfolio was R14 014,04.

Between 1986 and 2003 a total of R42 900 has been paid to the Fellows. The stipulation of the will was that the value of the Fellowship was to be at least R600 per annum for two years. The value has since been increased to R3 000 per annum for two years.

Although there are costs to running the Fellowship – consisting mostly of photocopying, paper, envelopes, post box rental and postage, no charge has ever been made.

The 2003/4 Fellow is Gillian Attwood, of the University of the Witwatersrand, whose work involves the empowerment of rural women through literacy. She has been so successful in her work that she has been asked to present a paper in Austria later this year. She is to be congratulated on her achievements and I am sure that she is a person whose scholarship and dedication would have commended her greatly to Dr Pollak.

After the Branch AGM held at Bains Kloof in early May, Shirley Churms, Peggy Impson and Hazel Bowen (as Branch President) attended the National AGM in Johannesburg on 28 May. The official launch of the Tinge of Blue and the National Conference also took place over that weekend.

The Executive consisted of Hazel Bowen (President), Shirley Churms (Treasurer), Liezl Cornelissen (Secretary) and Phuti Mogase, a small but active committee. Victoria Nembaware joined us in March 2004 when she undertook to work on the mentorship/HIV/AIDS project. The Executive met on a monthly basis.

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
As at 31 December 2003 the Branch had on its membership roll a total of 64, of whom 39 were full members, 12 senior members, 6 student members, 3 Honorary Life Members of the Branch, 1 Honorary Life member of the Association and 3 Honorary Members. Of these, however, only 16 full members, 9 senior members and 2 student members were fully paid-up by the end of the year although more members paid their 2003 fees in 2004.

We need to have an Executive member dedicated to working with new members and especially the prospective ones who make enquiries but do not always follow up with sending in their application forms and fees. The President’s office deals with many of the enquiries and the Treasurer receives the money and liaises with the new members.

IN MEMORIAM
Ena Bowman passed away in July 2003.

ACTIVITIES
- On 23 August we held a meeting with the theme “Towards a Climate of Peace in our Schools”, at which the main speaker was a Branch member, Jean Baxen, of the UCT School of Education.

Two schoolgirls, including the daughter of Executive member Phuti Mogase, gave us a demonstration of the processes involved in peer mediation as an approach to conflict resolution in primary schools.

- On 20 September we held a discussion on Changes in Higher Education, presented by Paula Ensor and Sue-Ellen Shay, both from UCT.

• In October we began the Mentoring workshops:
A Parenting workshop (10th) presented by Ons Plek (Pam Jackson) and the Parent Centre (Fouzia Ryklief) ; and
A Postgraduate Writing Workshop (11th) presented by two of our members, Shirley Churms and Cathy Hutchings.

The mentorship programme fund paid for Mangakakane Ramaila to come down from Limpopo (she is one of the participants in the programme). She stayed with the Branch President. Besides attending these two workshops she accompanied Hazel Bowen to the Department of Health, Quaker Peace Centre and Ikamva Labantu (all in Cape Town).

• On 12/13 November, the Branch President attended, as one of the representatives from SAAWG, the meetings held in Pretoria to finalize the formation of a committee to represent Civil Society at the African Union (ECOSOCC - South Africa Consultative Conference).
•
On 27 November the Cape Town branch held a launch of the 80th Anniversary publication, A Tinge of Blue. This was hosted by the Cape Technikon at their Hotel School. A number of women from the various tertiary institutions and women’s organizations (including HERS-SA) attended the function at which Peggy Impson, as the Editor-in-Chief of the publication, provided a very lively and fascinating insight into the lives of some of the women profiled in the book. A very comprehensive write-up was provided by Gillian Turner in the Southern Tatler newspaper.

• The end of year function was held on 30 November at the President’s Centre and combined with a crafts afternoon when members worked with lavender. Again we collected gifts or money for the Ons Plek girls.

In 2004
• On 24 January the Branch President and Phuti Mogase attended a meeting at the Cape Town Civic Centre where the Civil Society’s City Wide Forum was finalized.

• February was taken up with two activities : one a meeting with the Deputy Director, Curriculum Development from the Western Cape Provincial Education Department, Jenny Rault-Smith (20th). This meeting provided valuable insight into the current situation in schools and the challenges facing education. The second activity (22nd) was an evening get-together with a visitor from Canada, Ann Kirkland.

Margret Gehner was contacted by an AAUW member. The Branch President met up with the visitor briefly – however, Margret accompanied the visitor and her husband to various centres of interest.

• March again saw us debating issues around schooling when we held our first Margaret Lindsay Memorial Lecture (26th). This was held at University of Cape Town and took the form of a panel discussion. Peggy Impson started off the evening with a tribute to Margaret Lindsay. Jean Baxen, a member, spoke on her research into schooling in South Africa. She discussed some of her findings in relation to the various Education Department Policies and especially around the issue of HIV/AIDS. Peter Fenton from the Provincial Department (Curriculum Development) discussed their findings and activities around the effects of HIV/AIDS. Helene Sieborger represented the National Union of Educators and raised issues creating stress and unhappiness within the teacher fraternity. Jenny Rault-Smith, Deputy Director Curriculum Development, then concluded the discussion by highlighting policies and challenges being faced with regard to Cultural Diversity, Multilingualism and the further implementation of Outcomes based education for the Grades 10 –12. A lively discussion ensued from the audience, after which we adjoined for refreshments and further interaction. Everyone who knew Margaret Lindsay felt she would have approved of the evening!

Victoria Nembaware visited the Centre for the Book and the Peer Counselling HIV/Aids project at UWC and reported back on possible collaborative activities.

• In April (7th) we entertained a Canadian visitor, Jo Pleshakov, and her daughter. Also in April (17th) the Branch AGM was held at Mona Meiring-Steyn's home in Claremont. We were
• addressed by a Cape Town member, Sahar Hussein who is from Iraq and who recently went back there for a visit.

• On 15 May a further mentorship activity was held – an undergraduate writing workshop.

Project 5.0 – Community Creations.
This project has now been finalized and a report compiled. A copy of the report was sent to International Project 5-0 and handed to Community Creations at a “farewell” function held at the factory on 15 March 2004. This report is available at R70 per copy. National office and IFUW received copies. A total amount of R131 800.98 was provided for the project – the main expenses being R41 500 for equipment, R82 300 for Fabric and R6 200 for training and certification.

Obviously, all groups will maintain contact with Community Creations and take visitors to Cape Town so that we continue to assist with marketing and sales.

GRANTS
Marie Grant Award
Unfortunately we again were unable to present an award to a student from University of Western Cape.

On 7 November the Marie Grant Award was presented to Sarah Rouse from UCT. Jean Baxen from the Education Department (and a member) arranged this function for us.

Student Aid
This report is provided separately but National Office obtained legal advice regarding management of the fund. Cape Town branch has submitted a resolution for the 2004 National AGM confirming that the capital (shares) will be managed by the Cape Town branch (through a special subcommittee) and that administrative costs should be based only on the amount awarded per annum (ie not on the whole amount in the money market).

The Branch approved the idea of at least R2 000 (ie the equivalent of one award) being made available to the SAFM Live School Literacy Project.

OTHER ACTIVITIES
Marie-Lou Roux continues to keep the executive informed on environmental issues and will report to the branch in response to the requirements set out at the World Conference on Sustainable Development.

In June we will hold our Branch luncheon. We intend running another series of undergraduate writing workshops (in September), this time at University of Western Cape and we will also concentrate on English language development.

THANKS
Thanks were extended to the executive members. Peggy Impson was also thanked for her work on the SAAWG Journal.

The main activities of the Branch were centred around our monthly meetings and our projects, although we were also hosts to the members of IFUW who came to Johannesburg during our 80th Birthday Friendship tour.

MEETINGS:
Our regular monthly meetings took the form of lunches at Hofmeyr House on the East Campus of the University of the Witwatersrand. I would like to thank Naomi Monama for providing delicious teas for these meetings.

Our speakers addressed matters of concern and interest at these meetings and we are grateful to them for providing us with insights and stimulation. Our National President, Margaret Edwards, has suggested that we should offer a year’s membership to our speakers, where appropriate, as a means of widening our horizons. Speakers from among our members have included – Elsa Strivens, on “Plagues: Ancient and Modern”; and Jean Borkum, on “Women for Peace”.

Other speakers whom we have enjoyed were –
Barbara Giacomin, the Canadian Trade Commissioner in Johannesburg, on “Women in Diplomacy”; David Shapshak, on “Technology and Education”; and Golo Moultwane, on “The Umsobomvu Youth Fund”.

In addition to our usual Tuesday monthly meetings we experimented with quarterly Saturday meetings at the Wanderers Club, in order to give working women the opportunity to attend. We invited all independent members of SAAWG who live within easy driving distance of Johannesburg to these meetings, and have been disappointed that, so far, none has been able to attend. We chose the Wanderers Club as our venue because of its proximity to the motorway.

Our final quarterly meeting took the form of an “End of Year Party” at my home. At this meeting a special award was made to Jill Duncan for the care and help she has given, over the years, to many of our elderly members.

PROJECTS:
Our projects required a great deal of care and attention from those of our members who assisted with them. For such a small branch of a small organization, our projects prove that we really do “punch above our weight”.

BURSARIES:
Due to the difficulties encountered in dealing with our Johannesburg Universities, we were unable to award our usual Bursary of R3 000 in 2003. However, it was suggested that we should consider giving the 2004 bursary to Nothukela Nqana, our 2002 Essay Competition winner, as she has kept in touch with us, including informing us that she would have been unable to attend any tertiary institution without our assistance. She is attending a Technikon, and would be able to join our organization only as an Associate member on graduation.

ESSAY COMPETITION:
A successful Essay competition was held in 2003, thanks to the donation of R12 000 given to us by Anglo American Corporation at the end of 2002. We sent invitations to approximately 1 000 schools. We received 53 essays from 23 schools which is a poor return for our efforts. It has been suggested that our topic was too difficult for schoolgirls but those girls who replied produced worthwhile essays. Our First Prize Winner was Safera Ally of St. Oswald’s Secondary School in Newcastle. She has already registered at UNISA to read for a B.Com. (She received distinctions in English and Afrikaans in her final Matriculation examination.)

We received requests from previous Prize Winners for their prize money to be paid to the Universities of their choice. The Essay Competition is beginning to reach the young women who could be relied upon to carry on the excellent traditions of service to the community that has been the characteristic of SAAWG since its foundation in 1923.

AURORA PROJECT:
A full report is provided separately. We are very grateful to those of our members who help with presentations, designing and printing certificates, doing calligraphy on the certificates, and generally helping to keep the project running smoothly. In particular I would like to thank Margaret Edwards, Pamela Quin, Catherine Bell, Gillian Wilkinson, Berna Foden and Beverley Ballard-Tremeer for their help.

ANNUAL PUBLIC LECTURE:
Given the 80th Birthday celebrations and our special National AGM, we decided not to hold our Annual Public Lecture in 2003, but we hope to be able to do so in 2004.

NEWSLETTERS:
Our newsletters have appeared sporadically, due to the illness that accompanied the pregnancy of our editor, Maylene Damoense. However, Margaret Edwards has come to our rescue as far as members able to access e-mail are concerned. Elizabeth Mathebe has agreed to take over the job of Editor.

80TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS:
We were very pleased to take part in the Johannesburg leg of the “Friendship Tour” planned by Hazel Bowen as the focus of our 80th Birthday celebrations.

We hosted a braaivleis at the home of Berna Foden, which was a most successful affair due to the prodigious effort made by Berna and her augmented staff. We accompanied the tour to the “Cradle of Humanity” and the Krugersdorp Game Reserve. The tour members loved the herds of animals on the plains, and were able to see lions and rhinos in a reasonably natural environment. During the tour to “Doornkop”, the home of General Smuts, we were all very pleased to see the Honorary Membership Certificate of SAAUW awarded to “Ouma Smuts” displayed on her wall.

We accompanied the tour to Soweto, and the Apartheid Museum, as well as to a show at Gold Reef City, and finally, I took the members on a tour to the “Top of the Carlton” and concluded the formal part of the tour at a splendid dinner at the Rand Club. We also arranged to take the members on a post-tour visit to the Johannesburg Art Gallery.

Complementary copies of A Tinge of Blue were given to Parktown Girls’ High School, Kingsmead College and Jeppe Girls’ High School for their libraries, because their past Head Mistresses are mentioned in the book. It is also an excellent source book on South African women of the 20th Century and should possibly also be given to the other girls’ schools in Johannesburg.

OBITUARIES:
I wish to pay tribute to Hylda Hedges, who died last year after a series of major operations for a heart condition and vascular problems. Hylda was the person who first introduced me to SAAUW (as it was then). She was Johannesburg Branch President at the time, and soon became National President. She brought to both positions her own brand of graciousness, humour and sense of appropriateness and occasion. She was always willing to go the extra mile for the Association, and always willing to do whatever was necessary to further the aims and well-being of our Association. As a friend she was loyal and supportive, as a person she was devout and sincere, and as a member she was always ready to support us to the hilt. I shall miss her very much, and the Association will be the less without her. May she rest in peace and enjoy the reward for which her life has entitled her.

Another distinguished member of our Association who died last year was Benny Munro. Although we saw little of her in the last few years, she was one of the most effective members of the women’s movement in South Africa. If her main interest was the National Council of Women, she nevertheless contributed greatly to SAAUW over the years. We must give thanks for her life, and remember her with gratitude.

THANKS:
An association like ours can only operate if there is an effective committee, and I would like to thank all the members of the committee: Beverley Ballard –Tremeer, our Secretary; Berna Foden, our Treasurer; Sylvia Shapshak, our Vice President and Recruitment Secretary; Nishi Sing; Elizabeth Mathebe; Nevensha Sing and Maylene Damoense. All worked hard for the Association and Branch, and without them we would not have been able to function. Although not officially committee members, I would like to thank Margaret Edwards and Catherine Bell for all the support and help they have given me.

2003 was an active year and, I hope, an enjoyable one for all our members. Thank you for your support and I hope that 2004 will be an equally busy and stimulating year, where we continue to make an effective and worthwhile contribution to our community.

A joint project of the Johannesburg Branch of the South African Association of Women Graduates, Soroptimists International of Johannesburg and Kingsmead College.

Aim and Mission Statement
To support South African adolescent girls (and school teachers) from disadvantaged areas, with the objective of enhancing their self-esteem, and enabling them to lead fulfilled lives as persons in their own right, as well as in their roles as wives and mothers.

Seminars Presented During 2003
Four Seminars were presented during the year. These were attended by pupils from Aurora, Letsibogo and Meadowlands High Schools in Soweto and Kingsmead College in Johannesburg. Aurora, Letsibogo and Kingsmead College are “girls only schools”, while Meadowlands is a co-educational school. In order to avoid difficulties, should boys from Meadowlands wish to attend, attendance from that school was by invitation only.

One seminar was specifically for Grade 12 girls, and was entitled “Life after Matric”, two of the seminars were presented to Grade 11 girls, viz. “Balancing my Life” and “Survival Strategies in Life” and one seminar, “Leadership through Technology”, was presented to Grade 10 girls. Each seminar is presented with the aim of making the girls realize that they are, “Wonderfully Woman”.

1 Life after Matric
Modules presented: Starting a Small Business; Goal Setting; Looking for Bursaries; Holding a Meeting; Interview Techniques; Dressing for the Occasion; Wonderfully Woman – Developing My Talents.
National Student Financial Aid Scheme booklets were given to each participant at the end of the day.

2 Balancing my Life
This included: Examination Techniques; Skin Care; Money Management; Career Choice; Personal Relationships; Substance Abuse; Wonderfully Woman.

3 Survival Strategies in Life
Focused on: -First Aid and Personal Safety; Etiquette; Starting a CV; HIV/AIDS; Public Speaking; Wonderfully Woman – Taking Control of your Life.

4 Leadership and Management through Technology
Devised and presented by Tim Joyce, a retired engineer, this seminar aims to teach the rudiments of Management, Leadership, Bookkeeping and Engineering Design. Anyone visiting the seminar in the middle of the session would see it as “organized chaos”, but in fact, it is a lively and enjoyable way of learning about the world of work and especially work of project management and engineering. In a country significantly lacking in scientific and technological skills, this seminar opens new vistas of stimulation and ambition for the girls

Finances
The girls are charged R25 per seminar. Kingsmead College provides the venue and all the food as part of its Outreach Programme. Soroptimists International of Johannesburg pays for the buses for alternate seminars, while the project itself finances all other expenses.

Certificates of Attendance
Each attendee is presented with a certificate at her own school assembly during the following week. The project is grateful to Catherine Bell for the production of the very attractive certificates and to our calligraphers, Gillian Wilkinson, Pamela Quin and Catherine Bell.

Assessment Questionnaires
Simple assessment questionnaires completed by the girls are used by the presenters to improve their presentations where specific recommendations are made. Judging from the assessment questionnaires, this is a highly successful project!

Self-Esteem Questionnaires
Since the objective of the project is to increase the self-esteem of the girls involved, it has been considered desirable to try to test the effects of the seminars. One of the teachers at Letsibogo High School, Beatrice Morare, designed a questionnaire to test the self-esteem of the girls, and the effects of the seminars on the girl’s self-perceptions. Unfortunately, we have been unable to have the questionnaires analyzed, but have been in contact with the Department of Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand, and are hopeful that we will be able to gauge the effects of the seminars on the self esteem of the girls during the course of 2004.

Much more work will have to be done on this questionnaire but the prognosis is encouraging. Furthermore, we regard the work of creating, marking and evaluating the questionnaire as a most beneficial spin-off of the project.

Speakers and Presenters
Members of SAAWG and Soroptimists International of Johannesburg, and many of the speakers do not receive any reward for their participation or their time. Outside speakers, such as our motivational speakers, or the representatives of business such as Justine, are given pens or gift vouchers as a token of our appreciation.

Future of the Project
All experts seem to be agreed that there is a considerable need for this project, since the self-esteem of young black girls is very low. It seems self-evident, therefore, that the project should be expanded, although this raises major difficulties. Kingsmead College has requested a share in the fees charged to the girls. Furthermore, the project is now paying for the buses for alternate seminars.

Two possibilities for expansion seem feasible however. It may be possible to franchise the project and offer it to other like-minded NGOs, such as “Jong Dames Dinamiek” and black organizations interested in this type of project. The other possibility is that Kingsmead College could persuade other independent schools to consider such a project and expand it into areas such as Orange Farm or Alexandra Township.

News of this project is disseminated through
Soroptimists International which was awarded a Certificate of Best Practice in 1997, and a Certificate for the Best On-going Project undertaken by Soroptimists International of South Africa. Copies were given to the four participating schools. IFUW has also acknowledged the efficacy of the project.

This project addresses real needs existing in South Africa, and probably the rest of Africa. It does appear to result in the enhancement of the self-esteem of the participants i.e. it is effective in achieving its aims. Furthermore it is a means of enhancing inter-cultural and inter-racial communication and respect.

BACKGROUND
The social, economic and educational development of women and girls in South Africa is greatly restricted because of factors such as high unemployment/underemployment, lack of information, poor computer literacy, HIV/AIDS infection, poor career guidance, lack of knowledge regarding gender issues, and domestic and other violence. Naturally, these problems are greater within the rural areas and within particular provinces.

The Mentorship Programme has as its aim the addressing of some of these issues through the Association mentoring its own members in an under-resourced community so that they may in turn assist focus groups.

COMMUNITY PROFILE
The Community Project Development Model provided by IFUW stresses the importance of “Understanding the Community” and then providing a “Needs Assessment” before setting “Goals and Objectives” and “Planning the Project Activities”.

To this end a questionnaire was drawn up and administered in two communities:
Lefalane, Northern Province and Moetladimo, Limpopo Province.

A few points are highlighted below:
Educational Institutions
There are few further education institutions in the near vicinity of either community; although each has pre-schools and junior and secondary schools.

Women’s groups:
Both communities have a number of women’s groups through which and with which our mentors could work.

Common concerns highlighted by community members:
. Unemployment
. Poverty
. Teenage pregnancies
. Lack of opportunities or facilities for skills training/entrepreneurial training
. Lack of opportunities to enter higher or further education
. Lack of sex education
. Lack of information on HIV/AIDS and/or opportunities to talk about these issues
. High school drop-out/failure rates
. Lack of school infrastructure
. Need for greater parental involvement in school matters
. Need for greater motivation within learners (perhaps because learners see no “future” ahead of them)
. Lack of good roads
. Lack of sports/recreational facilities (although an NGO “Score” seems to be active)

The teachers are particularly concerned about redeployment. It is also possible that unemployed teachers in rural areas do not always have adequate access to information regarding open posts. The number of posts per school is usually based on a ratio of 1:50 learners. Therefore fewer teachers are carrying a greater teaching load. Added to this has been the stress of dealing with changes to the school curriculum and methodology as South Africa changes to an outcomes based educational system.

Schools are supposed to have Management Committees consisting of parents. Obviously in certain areas these are not up and running or functioning adequately when parents are not motivated or are not prepared to take on these responsibilities. Sex education is included in the lifeskills section of the new curriculum but there have been problems in that teachers are not always comfortable dealing with this topic (because of cultural norms etc).

The lack of water has now been resolved to a certain extent as the drought has broken in most areas.

The government has provided a child grant to assist mothers feed their babies. In fact, this grant has recently (2003) been extended to children up to the age of 14 years. Although this assistance has proved very necessary, it appears that the system is being “abused” in that young girls fall pregnant in order to obtain this (rather low) monthly amount. I have discussed this issue with a few black teachers/community people in Cape Town and have been told that this situation applies within their areas as well – or at least, is a commonly held perception.

IDENTIFIED MENTORS
It was also felt that the Association and the project leader needed to know the identified mentors better and begin providing them with research and report writing skills.

Two workshops were held in October 2003:
A Parenting workshop (10th) presented by Ons Plek (Pam Jackson) and the Parent Centre (Fouzia Ryklief) ; and
A Postgraduate Writing Workshop (11th) presented by two of our members, Shirley Churms and Cathy Hutchings

The mentorship programme fund paid for Mangakakane Ramaila (one of the identified mentors) to come down from Northern Province. She stayed with the Branch President. Besides attending these two workshops, she accompanied Hazel Bowen to the Department of Health, Quaker Peace Centre and Ikamva Labantu (all in Cape Town) where information was shared and some relevant material provided for her.

OTHER ACTIVITIES
In order to better understand the current schooling situation the Cape Town branch held meetings as outlined in the Cape Town branch report. These meetings provided valuable insight into the current situation in schools and the challenges facing education

Also in February, a branch executive member, Victoria Nembaware, visited the Centre for the Book and the Peer Counselling HIV/Aids project at UWC regarding possible collaborative activities.

Centre for the Book:
There is a general willingness to collaborate as long as we have a proposal and means of obtaining funding. They have initiated and produced short story books from high school learners; a short story book from an AIDS workshop and writing workshops for school teachers/educators.
HIV projects at UWC:
The HIV project at UWC has five sub-branches:
. Healthwise (Life-skills training in schools)
. Peer Training (HIV/AIDS)
. Gender based programmes
. OVC - Orphan and vulnerable children programme.
Undergraduate writing and language development workshops are planned as part of the mentorship programme.

MENTORS
Mangakakane Ramaila from Lefalane, Northern Province and Dina Masete in Moetladimo, Limpopo Province have undertaken to act as mentors. As access to a fax is limited and expensive, stationery items were purchased so that reports could be written in duplicate and posted. A “throw-away” camera was also provided for some visual material of the two areas and the people involved. Time and distance are the two challenges for such a programme.

FUTURE ACTIVITIES
Contacts for networking have been made. Literature and various aids have been sourced and workshops have been held. We now move to the stage of setting realistic goals and objectives in these two pilot areas, and to begin planning project activities with specific focus groups.

It will be essential to continue to provide as much back-up support as possible but the communities appear to have structures through which our mentors can operate.

More funds will definitely need to be sourced. It appears essential that members and the branches provide workshops on subjects such as
• personal development/self-esteem
• career guidance
• computer literacy
• entrepreneurship

Funds for bursaries would seem to be a high priority once the matriculants have been correctly assessed.

The Importance of the Electoral System for
Women’s Representation - Why it is important to make
use of women in government

Address delivered at Luncheon Meeting of the
Cape Town Branch, June 2004
By Prof Amanda Gouws University of Stellenbosch

After the 2004 election South Africa ranks 11th in the world with regard to the number of women in parliament, having women in 131 seats. The relatively high number of women in parliament can be attributed to the proportional list electoral system and the acceptance of a one third voluntary quota by the governing party, the ANC. The benefit of a proportional list system is that it ensures that women and small parties have access to representation. But what really makes the difference in South Africa is the ANC’s quota. Without the ANC’s quota there would have been far fewer women in parliament. None of the opposition parties have accepted a quota for women’s representation.

Women account for quite a significant constituency with 1 982 876 more women than men having registered to vote. This means that probably more women than men have voted. Research on previous election results has, however, shown no significant gender gap between men and women when it comes to voting behaviour. A gender gap exists when a significant larger number of women than men vote for a certain party or on grounds of certain issues. There are many issues that could contribute to a gender gap such as the fact that women die in larger numbers of HIV/AIDS than men, the impact of unemployment on women as primary caregivers, basic needs issues such as housing, water, electricity and education and violence against women. The lack of a gender gap can probably be attributed to a lack of alternatives among the different parties. During the 2004 election most parties dealt with the same issues and most of them did it in a gender blind fashion.

While the ANC is the party with the best track record for delivering on gender issues, no party really attempted to mobilize the women’s vote, even though women have the power to swing an election. Voters are not mobilized by their gender identities. Racial and class identities and their intersection with gender and party loyalty play a more important role when it comes to voting behaviour in South Africa.

With a 69.68% of the vote going to the ANC it got 279 of the seats while 107 are now filled by women. This is 82% of the total number of seats held by women. In total there are 131 women in parliament in contrast to the 119 elected in the 1999 election. Women therefore constitute 32.8% of the National Assembly, mostly due to the increase in the ANC’s share of the vote and its commitment to a one third gender quota. In this election the ANC put women in electable positions as nearly every third name on the national candidate’s list was that of a woman. The 50/50 campaign spearheaded by the Gender Advocacy Campaign (GAP) demanded that 50% women be elected to parliament by 2005 to get parity with men. Even though the campaign raised consciousness about women’s representation and helped in getting the women's vote out it did not succeed in getting 50% women in parliament because a zebra list of “every second name on the list a women’s name was not used.

The opposition parties managed to get a few more women into parliament. The DA has 10 out of 50 women, the IFP 6 out of 28, the UDM 3 out of 9, the ID 2 out of 7, the NNP 1 out of 7, the ACDP 1 out of 6, the UCDP 1 out of 3, the MF 1 out of 2 and the FF+, AZAPO and the PAC 0. In the bigger opposition parties women may not be placed strategically on the list.

Women in cabinet are approaching the 50% mark with 41.2% ministers and deputy-ministers. With 4 premiers out of 9 women make up 44.5% of the premiers. President Mbeki has shown the ANC’s commitment to gender equality by appointing 10 women ministers and 12 deputy-ministers. Women now fill some of the most powerful ministries in government such as Justice (Bridgette Mabandla), Foreign Affairs (Nkosazana Zuma) and Education (Naledi Pandor). These portfolios are not the “soft ministries” usually assigned to women. Other ministries headed by women are Agriculture and Land (Thoko Didiza), Housing (Lindiwe Sisulu), Home Affairs (Nosivivwe Mapisa-Nqakula), Health (Manto Tshabalala-Msimang), Minerals and Energy (Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka), Public Service (Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi), Water and Forestry (Buyi Sonjica), and Communications (Ivy Matsepe-Cassaburri). While the social portfolios such as health and housing are also run by women, all these portfolios together form the key to social transformation in South Africa.

The president made it clear that he needs ministers who can deliver on policies that will form the cornerstone of the ANC’s “contract with the people”. Putting women in these important portfolios also expresses his faith in their ability to deliver. Many of the women ministers have a strong gender consciousness and may contribute to monitoring the gender sensitivity of the policies they have to implement. A relationship between women in parliament and the National Machinery for Women is very important to ensure the necessary monitoring work on gender issues. In this regard the Joint Standing Committee on the Quality of Live and the Status of Women (JSQLSW) has done excellent work in the past. Unfortunately government has lost two of its gender stalwarts, in the persons of the previous speaker, Frene Ginwala, and the Chair of JSQLSW, Pregs Govender. The loss of their experience is a loss to all women in South Africa.

The importance of the ANC’s quota system cannot be underestimated for delivering a large number of women to parliament. Yet, this is a voluntary quota. The danger of voluntary quotas is that if a party’s support declines the number of women also declines, or if
the electoral system changes, women may lose out. A legislated quota would be more effective to ensure that women remain in government. It will also force opposition parties to accept a quota. With the problem of accountability in the PR system, the electoral system may be changed to a mixed PR and district system as recommended by the Van Zyl Slabbert Task Team. The number of women in parliament will then decline. Evidence of this already exists on a local level where more women are elected from the PR lists than in the wards.

While there are so many women in government it is important for citizens to use them and to keep them accountable to the women’s constituency. This can be done through also accessing the National Machinery for Women in South Africa. The most pivotal structure is the Joint Standing Committee on the Quality of Life and the Status of Women. Women can contribute to support for women in government through coming to public hearings on pending bills. My research has shown that few women are involved and that legal organizations dominate the hearings.

Women in government need our support just as much as we need to keep them accountable.

EXPERIENCES IN IRAQ

Talk delivered at Cape Town Branch AGM,
May 2004
by
Dr Sahar Hussein

I am in no way related to Saddam Hussein as some of you might think. Actually I was one of many who suffered because of his cruel regime. I was born in Baghdad in 1963, being the eldest daughter in a middle class family. I graduated from the College of Medicine in 1987 and was granted my Masters in Human Anatomy in 1995. I left the country in 1997 to work as lecturer in Anatomy in Libya. In 2002 I decided to come to South Africa to continue my PhD Studies in medicine. I was received with love by my South African supervisors and colleagues who are supportive and caring. Their kindness I can only mention but never repay.

I would like to provide a little information on Iraq‘s history. Iraq is part of the Arabian Peninsula. It is 400 000 sq Km in size with a population of 24 million: 96% being Muslim, 3% Christians and 1% Jewish. The country is rich in oil, natural gas, phosphates and sulphur. It has abundant land and water resources. This fertile land which was once known as Mesopotamia, was the site of flourishing ancient civilizations. I am sure that you all have heard about the Sumerian and Babylonians cultures. Muslims conquered Iraq in the seventh century. In the eighth century the Abbasid Caliphate established its capital at Baghdad which became a frontier outpost on the Ottoman Empire.

At the end of the First World War Iraq became a British mandated territory. When it was declared independent in 1932, the Hashemite family that also ruled Jordan, ruled Iraq. In 1945 Iraq joined the United Nations and became a founding member of the Arab League. In 1956 the Baghdad Pact allied Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and the UK and established its headquarters at Baghdad.

General Abdul-kareem Qasim took power in July 1958. He ended Iraq’s membership in the Baghdad pact in 1959. Qasim was assassinated in February 1963 when the Baath Party took power. It was the only party in Iraq until the American invasion.

The Iraq economy is characterized by heavy dependence on oil exports. Prior to the outbreak of the Iraqi-Iranian war in 1980, Iraq economic prospects were bright but the war devastated the economy. The war ended in 1988, leaving Iraq with the largest military establishment in the Gulf region but also with huge debt and an ongoing rebellion by the Kurdish people in the northern area of Iraq. The government suppressed the rebellion by using weapons of mass destruction on civilian targets.

Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 but a US-led coalition expelled Iraq from Kuwait in February 1991 through an operation known as “Desert Storm”. After the war a UN mandated sanction, based on Security Council resolutions, called for the Saddam regime to surrender its weapons of mass destruction and submit to UN inspection. Iraq was allowed, under the UN “oil for food” programme to export oil with which it could purchase food, medicine and other humanitarian relief equipment.

I had the chance to visit my country in February 2004 after being away for seven years. As much I was happy to go back, I was shocked to see the devastation of the country. Basic services such as electricity and telephonic communication were and are inadequate, and there are fuel crises! Believe it or not, unemployment is a major issue. And on top of that there is a general state of anarchy. Whether the conditions are going to improve after the handover of power to the Iraqis in June 2004 is really unpredictable.

SAAWG CONFERENCE

Joel Hall, Kingsmead College, Tottenham Avenue, Melrose, Johannesburg
29 May 2004

~ Women as Agents of Change ~
Address by the Deputy Minister for Correctional Services
Cheryl Gillwald (MP)

The topic Women as Agents of Change may be broad, but it lies right at the heart of our task, which is, to build a united new South Africa free of poverty and oppression. This not a debate about whether women are or can be agents of change. Rather, it is a discussion about the ways in which women can become much more effective agents of change. It’s about seizing the opportunities to translate what we already know as women into considered and sustained action – action that will make a difference.

In South Africa, our rich and often tragic past offers plenty of cues about what we must do. All we need do is look to our many heroines who committed life and limb to social change. Who can forget the evocative image of twenty thousand women marching on the Union Buildings in 1956 to register their rejection of the insidious pass laws?

Lest we ever forget, let us sing the mantra of our very own Agents of Change: Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Sophie de Bruyn, Albertina Sisulu, Amina Cachalia…

One of the definitive catalysts that turns women to activism is social injustice. The heroines of the struggle against apartheid embody this reality. In a very real way, women begin to understand the real measure of internal strength when they are confronted with adversity. This is true the world over.

Gender inequality knows no borders. Recent United Nation’s statistical analyses have revealed that women perform two-thirds of the world’s work, earn one-tenth of the world’s income and own less than one-hundredth of the world’s property. These conditions are not only immoral, they are unsustainable and we must – all of us – act now before it is too late.

We must not only remember our heroines. We must also make the connection between the sacrifices they made and the advances we now enjoy. In South Africa, women have made giant strides since 1994 in both the public and private sectors. An increased presence at all levels in institutional hierarchies and greater participation in the decision-making process are two direct indicators that the transformational process is well underway.

The question for us now is how to improve on the conditions they won for us. How do we translate the different positions that we have achieved in the public and private sectors into meaningful change, not only for other women working in the formal sector, but for all women, especially those vulnerable women in the distant rural communities of our country?

The special situation of rural women is of particular importance to us in South Africa. As a silent majority, these women play a significant role in economic subsistence, the survival of the family, the provision of food and shelter, to name but a few responsibilities they must, of necessity, undertake.

In a development-based environment, the fundamental premise for entry into the economy, even at subsistence level, is equal access to enabling resources. Women and especially rural women, if they are to survive, must have equal access to land, water, credit, technology, education and health services. But more importantly they must play an active role in the decision-making processes that set economic activity in motion.

In the past decade the number of people living in poverty has increased. But it has increased disproportionately for women, particularly in the developing countries, and that includes South Africa.

Why is this feminization of poverty permitted?
I believe it is because, despite the real strides that that have been made by women, there is an overarching failure to mainstream a gender perspective into all political, economic and social transformation processes. I also believe that this is far from unique to South Africa; it is true internationally.

The achievement of true empowerment for women across all race and class barriers, and most particularly for black African women, remains the subject of national discussion and lies at the very centre of South African policy formulation. But still the “glass ceiling” persists at almost every level and it leaves most African women with unfulfilled expectations.

It is an undeniable fact that women’s access to political influence and to decision-making in both the public and private sectors has improved significantly since the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.

Successive leaders in the African National Congress have recognised that the liberation of our country will remain incomplete until women participate fully and on an equal footing at all levels of society. In 1981 Oliver Tambo he insisted that “[women] have a duty to liberate us men from antique concepts and attitudes about the place and role of women in society.”

From the onset, when the ANC formed the new government, it acknowledged that there had been systematic marginalization of women during a succession of apartheid governments. The organization recognized an urgent need for corrective action to empower women. The new government was also determined to reflect this empowerment drive in the national, provincial and local government spheres of government.

This sentiment was clearly captured in former President Nelson Mandela’s inaugural speech when he said: “It is vitally important that all structures of government, including the President himself, should understand this fully: that freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression.”

In his state of the nation address to our parliament in February 2003, President Thabo Mbeki noted that the government had failed to achieve the necessary progress on gender equity. This was a clarion call for even faster and more effective implementation programmes to facilitate women’s empowerment.

What our president made clear, of course, is that equality for women is not a narrow interest – it’s critically important for both women and men and it is essential to the long term development of our country.

Our government has not only sought to increase the number of women ministers and deputy ministers but a significant number of them have been appointed to “non traditional’’ key positions such Foreign Affairs, Minerals and Energy, and Public Service and Administration.

Today I think it may be useful to remind ourselves that just ten years ago, there was but one woman in the South African Cabinet and she had the distinction of being the first-ever female member of that Cabinet.

Our Parliament too represents a clean break from the past with both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the National Assembly and the Chairperson of the NCOP being women.

Our government has not only put in place legislation aimed at empowering women but has also been exemplary in advocating equitable representation by reserving a number of seats in all spheres of government for women. In the civil service, several women hold positions at Director General level and they are increasingly represented in the upper echelons of the Public Service.
But does political influence translate into empowerment and improvement on the status of women? How do we make rights real? Today provides us with an ideal opportunity to assess whether this increased visibility for women in positions of influence has translated into real change for women in general. Are we leveraging maximum change for women across the board? Are we translating our increased visibility and participation into making our Constitutional rights real? Are we able to maximize this contribution in a work place that itself has remained structurally unchanged in spite of our entry into that environment?

Despite our increasing representation in the various sectors of government, we are still facing daunting challenges in fulfilling our role as public representatives. This is hardly surprising given that unequal gender relations do not cease to exist at the doors of the various legislatures.
Women not only have to battle sexism, but also have to wrestle with the conflict between home and work. For example, working hours and working practices in many public and private institutions continue to present women, especially those with children, with huge challenges. In most cases these gender specific problems are amplified by a general lack of institutional support. We have to move to a society in which the care of children is more equally shared between women and men – and where employers respond to the need for taking family into account.

Women with political influence are increasingly bringing the plight of women, especially rural women, to the fore and vigorously campaigning against the violence and male domination to which they are still subjected. The increased presence of influential and decision-making women in the legislatures, the executive branches and other structures of government has made it possible for women politicians and senior civil servants to promote women’s interests through new legislation as well as through an increasingly strong lobby to transform male-dominated institutional norms, values and cultures. Men and male-dominated institutions need to be empowered so that needs of women are placed on everyone’s agenda, not just women lawmakers.

You see, however much better South Africa might be for you and me and other women who are employed, the simple truth is that most South African women do not yet have either the resources or the capacity effectively to change their lives for the better. Despite all the important milestones that I have outlined, the road ahead is still very long before institutional power is shared equally between women and men in the government and corporate sectors. The persistence of a predominantly male culture in most organizations makes it difficult for those women who have penetrated the "glass ceiling" to ensure that their voices are effectively heard and acted upon.

Realising rights is now our preoccupation. While our Constitution is regarded as one of the most progressive in the world, our challenge on a daily basis is to realise the rights it envisages. We know that the majority of women continue to face marginalization and discrimination in their homes, workplaces and communities. We will only succeed in our task if we manage to close the gap between ambitious legislative measures and tangible implementation and delivery on the ground. It requires giving effect to substantive equality.

Women, especially black women still constitute the poorest group in South Africa and continue to face serious inequality and disadvantage in most facets of their lives. While a large percentage of these women are the sole breadwinners or heading households, they have little access into the mainstream employment sector. Most black women are therefore confined to the largely unregulated informal sector. There is a strong and moral need to ensure that the country’s economic transformation addresses their needs.

We should all realise that government alone does not have the resources and the person-power to fully address the myriad challenges that face us. Co-operation with the private sector in a number of areas is therefore essential if women are to be truly empowered in all sectors, whether economic or political.

Huge strides have already been made in mainstreaming women into the political and economic spheres. But there is much to be done. We must capitalise on these gains and prepare a co-ordinated way forward. We must be activists for change and we must encourage the men in our society to become activists for change as well. Our message is clear: that making women’s rights real in the home, in the workplace and in the community is good for the family, it’s good for business and it’s good for government. And we will not settle for less!

By embracing the concept of substantive equality, we have moved beyond the notion of formal equality to embrace the accommodation of ‘difference’ both between men and women and also amongst women. This paradigm shift has opened the door for dealing with women’s experiences in South Africa, particularly the compound oppression suffered by African, rural, working class and poor women, as a direct legacy of our apartheid past.

Economic reforms, trade liberalization and globalization offer women's empowerment threats, challenges and opportunities. Advances made in the field of labour legislation, for example, could come under threat from large multi-national corporations. We have real indicators that private sector responses to rights-based labour legislation have not been entirely positive.

This is evidenced in our country by the increasing casualization of the workforce. Traditional employee/employer relationships are increasingly being replaced with fixed term, benefit-free contract work agreements. On the other hand, the less formal structure of the work place is also offering women greater freedom in balancing professional and domestic aspirations. For those few with the capacity and infrastructure, informal networks, hybrid publications and cyberspace, with web-pages, chat rooms and e-mails have multiplied women’s voices as never before.

The networking opportunity offered by globalization has strengthened the voice of women around the world. But this rosy view of the benefits of globalization for women is counter-posed with another stark reality, which Danielle Brown describes so aptly: “Women are usually the first to be affected by the consequences of globalization, whether economic, social, or political, and often bear the brunt of the hardship that comes with them,”

We have an important role to play in putting women’s issues on the national agenda. To achieve this, women must form