Hon Madam Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, March 8 is the celebration of International Women's Day globally. On this day countries around the world are called upon to participate in the celebration of the centenary of International Women's Day.
In terms of the theme "Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women", my area of focus will be celebrating the organisational lessons of the life and work of Charlotte Makgomo Manye Maxeke, an organiser of the principles and values of International Women's Day.
Historically for South African women, locating women's oppression both nationally and internationally takes place in the context of the struggle against colonialism, racism, classism and gender oppression. Madam Speaker, allow me before I attend to the gist of my address, to spend a few minutes reflecting on why the United Nations deemed it fitting to celebrate and honour women's advancement and also to remind us to continue to be vigilant in ensuring that the gains we have made in the equality and empowerment of women are not lost, but maintained in all aspects of life.
When women in New York marched in 1908, demanding shorter working hours, better pay and voting rights, and a fire in 1911 caused the tragic death of 129 working women, this led to attention being given to the working conditions of women and to labour legislation which protects women. We, in the House, outside and beyond, never imagined that those two events would lead to a global day that confronts the entrenched complexities of patriarchy.
The life and work of Charlotte Maxeke is truly a celebration of the contribution she made in every aspect of our lives: in the home, in a job, in the community, and as a mother, worker, citizen and leader. Our great patriot and international leader Charlotte Maxeke first organised the events in celebration of International Women's Day in the 1930s as the President of the Bantu Women's League which she founded in 1918.
There she was joined by trade unions and the Communist Party of South Africa. She established co-operatives and also empowered women. What would Charlotte Maxeke say or do on this day? She would have used her extraordinary intellect, diligence, determination, courage and dedication to teach. Her love for the arts, and music in particular, cannot go unnoticed. Her choir, with her as a soloist, performed all over the world in the 1870s. Charlotte Maxeke was offered a church scholarship to Wilberforce University, the African Methodist Episcopal, AME, Church University in Xenia, Ohio, and she accepted the offer. She was the first black South African female to obtain a degree.
As a mathematics teacher, she would have demystified the subject and made it simple for all to understand. She would have been at the forefront in ensuring that we did better in mathematics as a country and encouraged girls to take up the subject and excel at it.
She was the co-founder of the Widow's Home and the Foreign Missionary Society and the founder of the AME Church Widow's Mite Society. These two organisations were responsible for funding and educating thousands of young Africans in South Africa, the USA and Britain, and also for caring for the sick and indigent Africans. What a dedicated social justice advocate she was.
She was one of the first female members of the ANC. As an activist, she would have said: It is a violation of human rights when women and girls are sold into slavery; it is a violation of human rights when women are raped in their communities; it is a violation of human rights when women are raped as a tactic of war; it is a violation of human rights when women are subjected to violence in their homes by their own relatives or partners; it is a violation of human rights when women are denied the right to plan families and forced to have abortions or are sterilised against their will. Lastly, she would have said that it is a violation of human rights when babies and children are denied food, suffocated or drowned just because they are girls.
Charlotte Maxeke would herself have challenged even my own party to break the silence and speak from the rooftops to change the gender imbalance at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, in state-owned enterprises and in the private sector in general. She would have challenged all women to write and be outspoken supporters of human rights and dignity.
We are told that Charlotte Maxeke gave uplifting speeches which were described as electrifying, passionate and fiery, yet not inflammatory. Let that be a lesson to us in the House and to all South Africans.
As we celebrate this day and honour the contributions of the many women in South Africa and the world at large, let us remember that we have made strides in that we have more women in the boardrooms of state-owned enterprises, but unfortunately not in that of the private sector. We have greater equality in legislative rights and impressive role models in every aspect of life, but women are still not paid equally in comparison with their male counterparts. Women are still not present in real numbers in business and politics.
Regarding the principles and values of International Women's Day, this day represents the progressive values and principles of internationalism. It inspires human solidarity and a sense of interrelationship between national women's struggles and the struggles of women globally. These struggles have been forged with the understanding that the question of women struggles cannot be waged outside of other popular struggles. This has led to women being at the forefront of mass and militant struggles.
The principles of democracy, nonracism, nonsexism and gender equality are rooted in this day. Human solidarity has resulted in the growth of the international women's movement, rallying around specific national and local needs. The struggle to resolve race, class and gender contradictions and their interrelatedness has been a prominent feature of International Women's Day celebrations.
Regarding achievements, our government played a critical role in the adoption of the Southern African Development Community Protocol on Gender and Development with its programme on gender equality and commitment to having women making up not less than 50% of all decision-making structures in SADC countries by 2015. South Africa is currently ranked 49th, the third country in Africa out of the 102 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, countries in terms of the social institutions and gender index which represents advances within the continent and the region.
The world is gradually changing regarding its attitude to women. We view this as an achievement, and South Africa is part of this momentum. For instance, our country is a signatory to international instruments that seek to improve women's lives, including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Cedaw. We also look forward to women participating in the implementation of the new growth path.
South Africa has made significant progress in the number of women it has appointed to Parliament. A report on the representation of women in the 2009 South African elections indicates that South Africa has moved up from 17th to third position in the world rankings of women in Parliament. This is the largest increase since the 1994 elections.
Post the 2009 elections, women constitute 40% of Ministers and 39% of Deputy Ministers. These figures are a decrease from the 2004 elections in which women constituted 43% of Ministers and also comprised 50% of Deputy Ministers. Following the 2009 elections, women won 45% of the seats in Parliament.
Regarding organisational lessons, on this day different societies have mounted courageous struggles using their local experiences. Historically we organised our communities into organs of people's power. We should continue to strengthen our structures to take up issues affecting poor women, particularly in rural areas and farming communities, to ensure that they are empowered through equal access to education, training, science and technology.
The evolution of the women's movement organisationally taught us the power of collective struggles. Our struggles must uphold the principles of unity, selfless service, collective leadership, humility, hard work, constructive criticism and self-criticism, discipline and mutual respect as part of the rich legacy of Maxeke and the traditions of our organisations.
Going forward, we note advances made by women globally. [Time expired.] [Applause.]