Johannesburg - With the commemoration of Women’s Day coming up this weekend, Communications Deputy Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, has called on women to stand united and celebrate their womanhood.
“To all women in the world, I’d like to tell you to celebrate your womanhood and to be yourself. If you do change, change for the better,” the Deputy Minister told SAnews on Friday.
This as South Africa is due to commemorate Women’s Day on Sunday with President Jacob Zuma delivering the keynote address at the main event. He is expected to release South Africa’s first Status of Women Report at the celebrations in Sasolburg in the Free State.
The Deputy Minister urged women to take action and to make things happen for themselves.
“The only thing we need to do as women is to take action in terms of what we want to happen. When we are united and taking action, then we are able to influence whatever that can be reported about,” she explained.
Women’s Day is marked annually on 9 August and commemorates the march against pass laws by women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria in 1956.
The Deputy Minister said while government was at 47% women representivity, the private sector was lagging behind. She urged women to fight to get what they want.
She was concerned that women are not united in their goals.
“Women of today don’t want to be united, they don’t want to take action. They expect things to happen the way they want them. What [we are calling for] is for women to stand united and take action.
“The other thing is that we don’t support each other. We don’t have confidence in other sisters. Once we have confidence and appreciate what strength and power we have as women, then we are able to push women representation far above 50%,” she explained.
Speaking to women at the Bhan Thai Spa and Gooderson Leisure Group women’s month gathering in Johannesburg, Deputy Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams reminded women to embrace the month of August as it is one of the most critical months in the calendar.
She called on women to uplift one another so as to make the world a better place while at the same time urging them to carry forward the baton left by the women of 1956.
The Deputy Minister also engaged in a panel discussion hosted by the MTN Foundation where she interacted with other women. - SAnews.gov.za
