Maite Nkoana-Mashabane to launch Women’s Month 2020 on 30 July

Nkoana-Mashabane will also reveal the “call to action” to the nation as a campaign to galvanise society in its collective response to gender inequality.

Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane will on Thursday officially launch Women’s Month 2020.

The objective of the launch event is to kick-start Women’s Month 2020, to announce the theme and to unpack the sub-themes for the month, which will guide national conversations, programmes targeted at ending inequality and driving women empowerment initiatives.

Nkoana-Mashabane will also reveal the “call to action” to the nation as a campaign to galvanise society in its collective response to gender inequality.

Women’s Month 2020 takes place in the context of the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), which have underlined the urgent need to more decisively deal with the legacy of structural oppression to accelerate the transformation of society.

This includes the transformation of unequal power relations between women and men; addressing gender oppression, patriarchy, sexism, racism and ageism, and to create an environment which enables women to take control of their lives, reach their full potential and contribute to the country’s development.

Another important emphasis is on paying tribute to previous generations of women, who laid the basis for the freedoms that women and South Africa in general enjoy today.

Of importance is ensuring that the baton is passed from generation-to-generation so that current and future generations can continue the struggle for gender equality and the empowerment of women.

At the launch, Nkoana-Mashabane will be joined by Ministers and Deputy Ministers, as well as representatives from civil society organisations and the Commission for Gender Equality.

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)