‘Not yet uhuru’ for women in SA
While South Africa has achieved a progressive constitution and laws promoting gender equality, women and girls’ lives are a far cry from the freedom achieved on paper.
This is according to Commission for Gender Equality provincial gender commissioner Nomsisi Bata.
Addressing an international delegation of about 30 young women at the department of justice and constitutional development in East London on Wednesday, Bata said SA looked good on paper but was still lacking in protecting women’s rights.
“It’s not yet uhuru for women, girls, babies and older women in South Africa, Africa and globally with the high rates of gender-based violence. The policies [in the country] are based on the Constitution, but we are still struggling with different forms of violence. People still don’t know their rights, and these are still grossly violated,” she said.
Bata said the scourge of violence was driven by toxic patriarchy and “masculinity nonsense. Women are still crying for justice.” The international delegates from Uganda, Mozambique and Ghana are on a weeklong Eastern Cape tour to learn more about conducting advocacy campaigns for women’s rights in their own countries.
They were joined by women from across the province on the project led by local women’s support centre Masimanyane.
Masimanyane youth projects coordinator Thabisa Bobo-Myataza said the group would be crafting country-specific advocacy programmes that would replicate and sustain womenmovements addressing violence against young women.
Echoing the commissioner’s words, Bobo-Myataza said: “Violence is a cross-cutting issue. It doesn’t choose race, culture or tradition.”
The group of women would be meeting with other Chapter 9 institutions around the province in order to learn how these influence decision making in South Africa, she added.
Two of the delegates told the Daily Dispatch that lack of information on human rights remained a big problem, especially in rural areas, as people did not know their basic rights. Anelisa Jezile, 27, of Ngcobo said the justice system was still failing women.
“The law is there but it is not saving us [women]. Interacting with women from other countries has shown me that violence is worldwide. I would love to see a country where women are free to express themselves and live their full lives.”
Mozambican national Theresa Gimo said: “Sometimes I don’t feel safe in my own country. Learning more about the role of government institutions has been awesome because it seems that the government is not interested in ensuring citizens know their rights. When we are violated we don’t know where to turn.”