Saturday, August 09, 2014

NEHAWU National Women`s Day Statement
The-then leader of Burkina Faso Capt. Thomas Sankara with
Col. Mummar Gaddafi then heading Libya during the 1980s.
8 August 2014

NEHAWU wishes the women of South Africa a wonderful Women’s Day tomorrow , 09 August 2014.This day marks a historic event in our calendar ,where 20 000 women drew a line in the sand in their rejection and denunciation of the apartheid regime.

On this day, 58 years ago, these fearless women marched to the seat of power in the Union Buildings, in Pretoria to make clear their rejection of the then proposed amendments to the Urban Areas Act {pass laws} of 1950. This act of leadership and courage was a clear statement ,that women were not going to sit idly in the struggle for the emancipation of an oppressed majority.

The African and Marxist revolutionary, Thomas Sankara ,had this to say on the question of women liberation; "The revolution and women’s liberation go together. We do not talk of women’s emancipation as an act of charity or out of a surge of human compassion. It is a basic necessity for the revolution to triumph." This showed his profound understanding that women’s struggles, belonged to the whole of humanity and can be historically traced back to the European social system of patriarchy that gave birth to the unequal social relations of capitalism and encouraged capital exploitation.

Successful nations, that have eliminated or reduced poverty, have learned and understood the one indisputable truth, that the only effective cure for poverty is the empowerment of women. This is not just about women empowerment but is about societal transformation and creating a fair and just society.

The biggest challenge facing the country is to reverse the patriarchal culture that victimizes women at home and at work. Many working women are still subjected to exploitation and the emergence and domination of neo liberal economic policies that have reduced and worsened the workers standard of living, affects mostly women. These dire economic conditions and the worsening poverty have seen an increase in the objectification of women, as evidenced by a spike in women trafficking, rape and enforced prostitution.

This vulnerability of women ,has resulted in them, being the highly infected and affected group by the HIV Aids pandemic and other deadly diseases. They also constitute the majority of casualties of armed conflicts and criminal acts. We issue a special tribute to the women of Palestine and the Ukraine, who are trapped in warzones and battling the odds in their war torn countries. We also salute all the women of our continent, Africa, who are battling the spread of Ebola and other deadly diseases that continue to haunt the continent. We are inspired by their resilience and courage and pledge our unwavering solidarity.

NEHAWU reiterates its commitment to women emancipation and calls on all South Africans irrespective of gender to join in the struggle against patriarchy. We should all embrace and fight hard to achieve gender equality. We should also remember that, we are not descended from fearful women but from courageous heroines ,with high intolerance for injustice and exploitation.

Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat Office
For further information, please contact: Sizwe Pamla (NEHAWU Media Liaison Officer) at 011 833 2902 - 082 558 5962 or email: sizwep@nehawu.org.za
Visit NEHAWU website: www.nehawu.org.za

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