WOMEN’S MONTHPage 2 28 August 2009

WHAT is the significance ofWomen’s Month?

It’s for remembering theefforts of women. This goesback to the 1950s DefianceCampaign, when black,coloured and Indian womenbroke apartheid laws in thename of justice for women.Their rallying cry was, “Strikea woman and you strike arock!”

The Federation of SouthAfrican Women organised20000 women on 9 August1956 to march on the UnionBuildings, in Pretoria, toprotest against laws thatwould force black women tocarry passes. It is this marchwe celebrate on Women’s Dayeach year.

This month is a time for usto reflect on our pastachievements as women, toconsolidate and assess thepresent, and to mobilise andplan for the futuredevelopment andempowerment of women.

How should we celebrateWomen’s Month?

It is an opportunity forwomen to showcase theirsuccesses and tell theirstories - of how they areraising their voices againstsocial, economic, culturaland religious restraints.

Women should gatheraround the Women’s Daybanner to highlight thecampaign for genderequality, emancipation andempowerment.

Are the government’swomen empowermentprogrammes bearing fruit,and is the development ofwomen in South Africamoving at a satisfactorypace?

In the context of escalatingfood prices and other living

costs, the government hasacknowledged that, as headsof households and caregivers,it is critical that women haveaccess to the “social wage”through housing subsidies,grants, free basic healthcarefor children and free basicservices.

We will implement apoverty strategy and establisha national war room for a waragainst poverty. This willbring together departmentssuch as Social Development,Co-operative Governanceand Traditional Affairs, Tradeand Industry, Arts andCulture, Public Works andHealth.

The government’sExpanded Public WorksProgramme is increasing thenumber of women in small-to medium-scaleconstruction and training asearly childhood practitionersand community-based careworkers.

More women are taking upeconomic opportunitiesthanks to governmentprogrammes aimed atimproving their skills, for abetter life.

We will continue to workwith our social partners topromote the economicempowerment of womenthrough access to financeand the fast-tracking of skillsdevelopment.

All women, irrespective ofrace or nationality, mustunite to work againstxenophobia.

In keeping with theconstitutional imperatives ofnon-racism and non-sexism,the government calls onwomen to help unite oursocieties, which have beenhit by attacks on foreignnationals. The governmentalso calls on women’s groupsto foster social cohesion and

moral regeneration. Do you the think women oftoday possess the politicalvigour and commitment oftheir counterparts of 1956?

There’s nothing stoppingthis generation fromcampaigning for issues thatimpact on women, such assexual harassment, fraud andcorruption, child and womenabuse, rape and domesticviolence.

Women have the capacityto work with men to achievean egalitarian society, free ofabuse and violence.

How is our City doing inaddressing women-relatedsocio-economic issues?

The Municipality views

women entrepreneurs –ranging from the pavementvendors to operators of bedand breakfast businesses - asan important cog in the city’splans to strengthen small,medium and microenterprises and foster blackeconomic empowerment.

The City’s leaders havegone to great lengths topromote gender rights andequality. Also, the City’sBusiness Support andMarkets Unit has initiated awomen’s empowermentconference, to raise theprofile of women in business.

Women in business facemany difficulties, particularlyaccess to finance. Theconference represents an

excellent platform toempower women byproviding them withinformation on businesssupport, networking andfinance.

Any final message to all thewomen of our City?

Leadership, mentorshipand internship are key. Alsoimportant if we are to shatterthe glass ceiling in thecountry’s boardrooms –where tenders andprocurement deals are made– is to develop a thirst forknowledge and financialmanagement and planningskills.

Of course, cultivating theright image to do business

and having style and

elegance are important, but itis only through the effectiverepresentation of women’srights – an area wherewomen must become morevocal – that women will cometo enjoy wider representationin our economy.

Finally, remember: o Leadership is a choice

you make, not a position yousit in; o Learn to lead despite the

restrictions others place onyou; o Good leaders rarely think

in terms of boundaries - theythink in terms ofopportunities; o A true leader champions

her vision – take it and makeit your own.

Leading with styleFAWZIA Peer is Councillor forWard 24 and Council ChiefWhip

1985 Graduated from theUniversity of DurbanWestville with a Bachelor ofArts (majoring in Psychologyand Sociology)

1989 University of Natal,Durban, Post GraduateDiploma in IndustrialRelations

1993 University of NatalDurban, awarded Bachelor ofSocial Science (Honours)

1994 University of Natal,Pietermaritzburg, School ofLaw, awarded Certificate inLabour Law

1995 Institute of PersonnelManagement – awarded aCertificate for AssertiveCommunication Skills

1994-1996 Appointed apublic representative on theBroadcasting ComplaintsCommission

1995 Elected Chairwomanof the Durban Business andProfessional Women’s Club.

1996-2001 Elected DeputyMayor Inner West Council

2001 to date Elected ANCregional executive memberfor the eThekwini region

2007 to date Electedmember of the UKZN Council

2008 Elected Chairwomanof Treasury and Office of theCity Manager Local LabourForum

FAWZIA PEER: ‘Women should gather around the Women’s Day banner to highlightthe campaign for gender equality, emancipation and empowerment’

CV highlightsCouncil Chief Whip Fawzia Peershares her views on Women’sMonth. She chats to Derrick Dlaminiabout the progress that’s beingmade . . . and what it takes to beleader

FIFTEEN years into our newdispensation, South Africahas seen the emergence ofwomen in top positions inpolitics and business.

Among them isNomaxabiso Mahlawe,eThekwini Municipality’sDeputy City Manager forSustainable Developmentand City Enterprises. She isthe only woman to hold apost of this level in theMunicipality.

Mahlawe is responsible fora number of units includingDevelopment and PlanningManagement, EconomicDevelopment, and BusinessSupport and Markets.

She believes empoweringwomen is a crucialinvestment for any nation.

Mahlawe has a Mastersdegree in Town and RegionalPlanning and Honours inPsychology and Politics.

She has also completed theManagement AdvancementProgramme through the WitsBusiness School.

Her interest in rural andregional development led herto complete a programme on“rural Industrialisation”,where she studied co-operatives in Israel.

She has also completed acourse in ComparativeAfrican Politics, whichinspired her to join a

Leadership DevelopmentProgramme with the UnitedNations University inAmman, Jordan.

DestinyIn Women’s Month,

Mahlawe believes it’s timewomen, across our country,take charge of their destiny.

An advocate of humandevelopment, she believes inempowering the mostvulnerable members of oursociety, especially womenand children.

“The City will be livable if

access to facilities is madeavailable to the mostvulnerable people withoutundermining the value ofpeople who have prospered,”she said.

Her career has spanned anumber of spheres ofgovernment, including co-ordinating and integratingcomplex strategies andlaunching some well-knowncampaigns.

Major achievements underher belt, include becomingthe first chief executive toestablish programmes for theSouth African chapter of theAfrican Renaissance. Thisinvolved steering theestablishment of the moralregeneration movement, aswell as helping to design and

launch the African Union andsome of its protocols.

Mahlawe has worked withGauteng and Eastern Cape

provinces on a number ofprojects.

She was project managerfor the metro wide re-engineering process withthe Johannesburg MetroCouncil.

Passionate about her fellowcitizens, Mahlawe said moralregeneration could go a longway to transforming oursocieties to address a “decayin moral precepts”.

“We all need to ensure thathumanity lives the way it wasmeant to. Liberation is onestep in a larger process.

“More needs to be done toencourage moralregeneration, caring andcommitment in people tomake positive thingshappen,” she said.

Derrick Dlamini profiles Deputy CityManager Nomaxabiso Mahlawe

Committed to development and moral regeneration

NOMAXABISO MAHLAWE