Zikalala encourages women to study

The KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has encouraged women to study so that they do not depend on abusive men for financial support.

Zikalala addressed thousands of women at the provincial Women’s Day celebrations in Osizweni, Newcastle in northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday.

He has also encouraged communities to stand up against the harassment of the LGBTQI community.

“This time we want to call on all of you, our organisation, politics, the NGO’s, the business community, the religious sector. Let us work together to grow South Africa. Together let us fight for equal society where all people shall be free for any abuse and harassment.”

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Mr. Sihle Zikalala on the podium giving keynote address on #WomensDay2019 at Osizweni Stadium in Newcastle @AmajubaDM on this #WomensMonth2019 @kzngov pic.twitter.com/caezUrQuiD

— KZN Provincial Gov (@kzngov) August 9, 2019

Political parties celebrate Women’s Day 

Government plans to break traditional barriers that stop women from owning land. Delivering the keynote address at the official Women’s Day event in Vryburg, President Cyril Ramaphosa said culture should not be used as an excuse to keep women from owning land.

EFF leader Julius Malema says South Africa’s judges are biased and incompetent. Speaking during a Women’s Day event at Concordia in the Northern Cape, Malema described the judges as “traumatised old people”.

The Democratic Alliance marked Women’s Day in Port Elizabeth’s notorious northern areas,
where gang-related crime has claimed more than 200 lives over the past two years. The victims are often women and children.

Representation of women

Meanwhile, ANC stalwart Cheryl Carolus says the representation of women in the private sector is poorer than in the public sector.

Carolus says South Africa is ahead of most democratic states when it comes to gender parity.

“If I just think of where we’ve come as South Africa. So even with those boardroom statistics, I think SA is actually years ahead of most established democracies and it’s because we pay attention and there’s a conscious focus on it. A lot of our focus is on government as it should be but I can assure you, government both at a executive level, at a parliament level, at a civil service level, the gender representation is way ahead of the private sector. The private sector should really hang their heads in shame.”