9 August 1993
On behalf of the African National Congress and the Women's League, I should like to thank the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid for inviting us to this International Day of Solidarity with the Struggle of Women in South Africa.
All the peace-loving people of our country, including the women, had hoped that this was going to be a very exciting time, with an election date in sight, but, sadly, this seems to be the darkest hour before the dawn. Violence has engulfed our country like a vicious veld fire. Men, women and children have died in Bisho, Table Mountain, Mpushini, Kenilworth, Boipatong, Phola Park, Bambayi, Port Shepstone, Tembisa and various other places. Blood and tears continue to flow in our land.
Women have to take responsibility to look for missing relatives and provide food, shelter and comfort when their homes have been burned down, and they have to bury the dead. They do not even have the luxury to grieve in peace.
Violence and migrant labour mean the disruption of families, the dislocation of communities, the breakdown of discipline, a rise in teenage pregnancies, and escalating rape and domestic violence, which also encourage the spread of AIDS.
Women have to bear the brunt of the unrelenting drought, unemployment and the recession. There is grinding poverty, especially in the rural areas. The situation of women's rights and gender discrimination in our country is about two decades behind that of the rest of the world.
Our country did not benefit from the United Nations Decade for Women, because of its isolation. Women, especially married women, do not have equal status with men. They still need their husbands' signatures for financial and other contracts. They are taxed far higher than men, if they happen to be employed. Women are not in the decision-making process in politics, industry, professional or academic institutions.
Water, sanitation, housing and electricity are still not accessible for most women. African women cannot even own a piece of land in the rural areas under the chiefs. Not all employers give maternity leave to those women who are employed. The situation seems to be very bad, and our only hope is the women themselves.
South African women have always been part of the liberation struggle. They have always fought for the liberation of the most oppressed and for the restoration of the dignity of the African people. The 9 August march by 20,000 women from the length and breadth of our country was part of this struggle. Of course, they have a double burden, as they have to make sure that gender discrimination disappears simultaneously with racial discrimination.
Women of the ANC, who have done a tremendous amount of work in changing the African National Congress from a purely male organization to one in which women participate as equal members, have had to lead the struggle to create space for women at the negotiating table. Initially, women were excluded from the negotiations at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA). The ANC women made sure that the ANC demanded the inclusion of women at CODESA; hence the formation of the Gender Advisory Committee.
When the multi-party talks resumed on 18 March this year women were again excluded. The African National Congress proposed that women should be part of the delegation. Although most parties initially ridiculed the suggestion, subsequent pressure by women, with the support of the international community, led to a decision that each party had to have a woman and a man as delegates at the negotiation council. It was also stated that the parties that did not want to bring a woman as the second delegate would forfeit their second delegate's space. This marked a victory for women.
Women have to be vigilant within their parties to make sure that policies are gender-sensitive. In negotiations they have to apply a women's perspective to general matters and, more importantly, ensure that decisions taken do not prejudice the position of women. The multi-party negotiations have laid a basis for addressing gender imbalances, at least within the Constitution and the bill of rights. The equality clause, the proposed repeal of gender-discriminatory legislation and the recent agreement on a transitional executive council (TEC) sub-council on the status of women are all hard-won victories for women.
It is very clear to the women of South Africa that the new South Africa will bring nothing for women other than what they have gained through the struggles on the ground.
In order to strengthen their position women have come together on issues of common interest across the political spectrum to draw up a charter of women's rights. Demands are being collected from women so that the Constitution, the bill-of-rights legislation and Government programmes are guided by the aspirations of women as well.
Women constitute about 53 per cent of the population and are a crucial sector of the electorate; as such they are a strong force. As the majority of women have never voted, there is a need for an effective voter-education campaign to motivate women to vote, educate them on how to vote and assure them that their vote is secret and equal to that of men. Creative means have to be found to implement this, since the majority of African women cannot read or write.
Women refuse to be seen as only brigades of workers canvassing support for the political parties or voters in the coming election; they insist that they have to be seen as candidates as well in the coming election.
Political parties have to convince women, both by their policies and by their candidate lists, that women have something to gain by voting for them. Women have, through their own struggles, made women's rights an election issue.
The contribution of the international community in our struggles cannot be overemphasized. We salute the women and men of the world for their untiring support.
The late President of the African National Congress of South Africa, Oliver Tambo, said "No country can boast of being free unless its women are free." The women of South Africa say "Do not give up until we have a democratic, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa. Let us walk the last mile together, as we have done for thousands of miles."
Now is the time to strengthen solidarity with South African women. Now is the time for gender equality. And now is the time to help reconstruct our country and restore the dignity of the African people.