Note to editors: the following speech was delivered by BOSA Deputy Leader, Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster MP, during today’s debate in Parliament on International Women’s Day.
Honourable Speaker,
As this House reflects on International Women’s Day, our role as lawmakers and leaders in society must be to shift the narrative of women in South Africa from victims to victors.
Today, looking around this House, we can acknowledge that South Africa has one of the highest representations of women in Parliament at 43%. But has this representation translated into meaningful change for the lives of women in South Africa?
For all the women in this House, for all the women in Cabinet, we still live in a country where the face of poverty is overwhelmingly that of a black woman.
We are not yet victors.
We still live in a country where the number of women CEOs is alarmingly low, and where economic exclusion keeps women locked out of leadership, prosperity, and decision-making.
Half of South African women are economically inactive. Men earn, on average, 16% more than women for performing the same job. Only one-third of JSE board members are female. These statistics are not just numbers; they are a call to action.
Representation must translate into power. It must translate into change.
To change this narrative, it is on us in this House to ensure that every policy, every budget, and every law prioritises the safety, empowerment, and economic participation of women. Forget symbolic victories. Focus on transformation that positively changes the lives of South African women.
Let us avoid being naive. The fight for gender equality is far from over. In fact, it is facing an aggressive pushback.
We have seen this in the United States, where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies are being dismantled at the highest levels.
We are witnessing a deliberate attack on the institutions and organisations that champion women’s leadership, freedom, and equality, not just in America, but in many parts of the world.
There is an intentional effort to reverse progress, to return to a status quo where women’s voices are diminished, where leadership remains overwhelmingly male, and where gender equality is treated as an inconvenience rather than a necessity.
To my fellow women parliamentarians: We are not here to simply occupy seats. We are here to fight for the women of South Africa. We are here to fight so that the next generation of South African women does not inherit the same injustices, the same barriers, the same battles we still fight today.
To men in leadership: This is your fight too. Gender equality is not a women’s issue—it is a societal issue, an economic issue, a justice issue.
To all South Africans: Do not relent. The struggle for women’s leadership, women’s safety, and women’s economic inclusion is not a favour—it is a necessity. We have come too far to turn back now.
Media Statement by
Roger Solomons: BOSA Acting Spokesperson
Thursday 13 March 2025
Media Enquiries:
Roger Solomons – BOSA Acting Spokesperson – 072 299 3551