Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane will join the Methodist Church in Langa on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape to mark Women’s Day.
Ministerial Spokesperson Mlimandlela Ndamase says the Langa Church is holding a special service to honour the 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings in 1956 against divisive pass laws being extended to women.
Ndamase says access to water and sanitation remains a challenge, particularly to women. “Our intention is to ensure that every household has running water; because one of the biggest problems we confront currently is where there are inadequate sanitation facilities…”
Ndamase says a lack of adequate sanitation facilities exposes women to violent attacks as they have to travel long distances to fetch water.
Meanwhile, President Jacob Zuma is expected to release the first report on the status of women in South Africa’s economy.
Government will also start to name and shame departments that don’t empower women. This will be part of efforts to scale up the
socio-economic empowerment of women.
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