Deputy Minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli has called for a decisive shift from symbolic commitments to tangible action in advancing gender equality, saying policies must translate into measurable improvements in the lives of women and girls.
Delivering remarks during the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) debate marking International Women’s Day, Mhlauli urged government and society to move beyond declarations and focus on practical implementation.
“We must move from commemoration to implementation; from promises to measurable outcomes. From policy intent to lived reality,” she said on Wednesday.
The Deputy Minister emphasised that tackling gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) requires confronting harmful social norms and the role of male socialisation in perpetuating violence.
“We must also speak plainly about the role of men and boys. We cannot build a future without confronting the socialisation that produces violence, entitlement, and control.
‘The justice system itself acknowledges programmes that focus on positively changing the attitudes of men and boys in areas with high levels of violence against women. This is not optional work. It is prevention,” Mhlauli said.
She said boys must be guided towards a vision of masculinity grounded in respect, responsibility and accountability.
“To the boy child, we must say: your strength is not dominance. It is discipline. It is respect. It is accountability. It is the courage to reject peer pressure, to reject violence, and to protect the dignity of women and girls in your home, your school, your community, and online,” the Deputy Minister said.
She urged men in positions of influence, including fathers, brothers, coaches, faith leaders, traditional leaders and community leaders, to actively challenge violence against women.
“To fathers, brothers, coaches, faith leaders, traditional leaders and community leaders, we must say: silence is not neutrality. Silence is permission.
“If we are serious about ending GBVF, then positive masculinity must become a societal norm, not a campaign for 16 days,” Mhlauli said.
The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children is an annual international campaign running from 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day).
The Deputy Minister referenced the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group Chairperson’s Statement of 31 October 2025, which highlighted the importance of the care economy and women’s financial inclusion.
“The statement places the care economy and financial inclusion at the centre of women’s empowerment and recognises the importance of shared social responsibility for caregiving, including encouraging the active engagement of men and boys in care work,” she said.
According to Mhlauli, women’s unequal share of unpaid care burden remains one of the most significant barriers to their economic participation.
“This is deeply aligned with our domestic reality: women carry disproportionate unpaid care burdens, and that burden is an economic constraint. If we want women to participate equally in the economy, we must invest in care infrastructure, remove barriers to women’s access to finance, and recognise that economic justice is a form of violence prevention,” she said.
70th anniversary of historic women’s march
Mhlauli said South Africa will this year mark the 70th anniversary of the historic women’s march of 9 August 1956 when thousands of women including mothers, workers, organisers and leaders, marched to the Union Buildings to declare that they would not accept injustice.
“Their message is not only history. It is instruction. It tells us that courage is collective, and that rights are defended through action.
“We must strengthen access to justice, not only by improving laws, but by fixing the system: faster case processing, safer courts, better survivor support, integrated data, and accountable consequences for perpetrators.
“We must strengthen access to justice not only by improving laws, but by fixing the system - faster case processing, safer courts, better survivor support, integrated data and accountable consequences for perpetrators,” the Deputy Minister said.
Economic empowerment must also be backed by real opportunities for women entrepreneurs, including access to procurement, finance, and markets.
She added that prevention must remain a central pillar in addressing gender-based violence by reshaping community values and promoting respectful relationships.
“We must strengthen prevention not only by protecting women and girls, but by actively shaping the values of boys and men and rebuilding communities that refuse violence as normal,” she said.
Mhlauli stressed that achieving meaningful progress will require collaboration across all sectors of society. “We must do so together, national government, provinces, municipalities, civil society, business, labour, communities and households.” – SAnews.gov.za
