Mpumalanga’s Women’s Day commemoration was held at the Sydney Choma Banquet Hall in Middelburg, within the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, under the theme ‘Building resilient economies for all’.

Community members turned out in large numbers to mark the 69th anniversary of the 1956 women’s march to the Union Buildings, held in opposition to the pass laws of the time.

The MEC for sports, Leah Mabuza, speaking on behalf of Premier Mandla Ndlovu, said Mpumalanga has declared that it cannot be “business as usual” when women are still subjected to discrimination and abuse.

“The fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) is something to unite all of us,” she said. Mabuza noted that Mpumalanga is not immune to the scourge of GBVF, which President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared the country’s “second pandemic”.

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“The province is committed to eliminating GBVF. One commitment, among others, is the launch of the Provincial Council on GBVF, which aligns with and responds to the resolutions of the Presidential GBVF Summit.”

The Provincial Council is a multi-stakeholder structure serving as an accountability and leadership platform for implementing the Provincial Strategic Plan on GBVF.

It relies heavily on the functionality of Rapid Response Teams launched in all 20 municipalities. Mabuza said the majority of active participants in these teams are women determined to create violence-free communities.

“We have seen a growing number of men participating in empowerment activities aimed at curbing GBVF. Various men’s forums and dialogue sessions have been co-ordinated with external partners. We urge more men and boys to join this fight, and to show love and compassion for all women and girls, so that we may live in harmony and put an end to the gruesome killing of our sisters, mothers and children.”

Mabuza said that government has developed strategies to tackle unemployment, including increased participation in Public Employment Programmes, greater access to vocational and skills-based training, and leveraging public procurement.

“These interventions have a history of success and are aimed at addressing the persistent challenges of poverty, unemployment and income inequality.”

On women’s empowerment, Mabuza said Mpumalanga had participated in the national Women’s Trade Fair – Empower Market – to uplift women-led SMMEs.

“The event was anchored in South Africa’s G20 Presidency, which includes the Empowerment of Women Working Group’s Key Priority 2: Promoting Financial Inclusion of and for Women.”

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She added that through the Mpumalanga Regional Training Trust, 143 learners – 73% of them women – have been trained in hospitality, while 552 learners – 75% of them women – have completed technical skills programmes.

“This entity also supports a non-profit organisation, run by a woman in KaNyamazane, called Good Morning Kids Zone, which serves meals to elderly people and children from Monday to Friday.”