President of the ANC Women's League,
Comrade Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula,
Secretary General of the ANC Women's League,
Comrade Bathabile Dlamini,
Office Bearers and Members of ANC Women's League NEC,
ANC NEC Members and members of other leadership structures of the ANC nationally and provincially
Members of the Tripartite Alliance,
Comrades delegates,
Distinguished guests,
Comrades and friends,

I bring you warm and fraternal greetings from the African National Congress National Executive Committee, and the entire membership of the ANC.

This conference takes place just a month before the celebration of the 52nd Anniversary of the Women's March to the Union Buildings, now known as National Women's Day.

Women's Day reminds us of the centrality of women in our struggle and tells us of their heroism. That day firmly put the women's struggle at the centre of the people's struggle against apartheid and oppression. We remember the contribution of 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings to present their petition against the extension of pass laws to women and they stood in silence in the forecourt of the Union Buildings before they sang in unison: "Strydom Wathint' Abafazi! Wathint" Imbokodo! Uzokufa!.

We salute the role played by the women of that generation who challenged the might of apartheid, among them Comrades Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophie De Bruyn. We also salute and honour all other generations of women who have made a meaningful contribution to our struggle, including Charlotte Maxeke, Madie-Hall Xuma, Ida Mtwana, Albertina Sisulu, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Florence Mophoso, Ruth Mompati, Gertrude Shope, Adelaide Tambo, Ray Alexander, Mitah Sperepere, Dorothy Nyembe, Ivy Gcina, Nelly Jibiliza, Sister Bernard Ncube and many others.

Comrades, you are standing on the shoulders of giants and history expects you to emulate the contribution of these great women.

We have come a long way since the statement of Comrade President 'OR' Tambo when addressing the ANC Women's Section in 1981. He made an impassioned plea to women about their role and said:

"...Women in the ANC should stop behaving as if there was no place for them above the level of certain categories of involvement. They have a duty to liberate us men from antique concepts and attitudes about the place and role of women in society and in the development and direction of our revolutionary struggle...".

Since the dawn of freedom and democracy in 1994, the struggle of women has achieved some tangible results. This reflects the transformation that has taken place within the ANC as a movement and in our society in general. This is evidenced by the adoption of a 50/50 position at the ANCs Polokwane Conference, a landmark decision that is arguably unequalled in the world.

The equality clause in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996 represents one of the 1994 victories for women, and further reconfirms our commitment as a country to the total emancipation of women. We have come a long way because even before we took that decision in Polokwane, the practice of elevating women to senior positions in all spheres of the ANC government had already gained root. A woman heads our national parliament. There are twelve women cabinet ministers and 17 men. We have 11 male deputy ministers and nine women deputies. There has also been an increase in women representation in municipal structures and in councils.

This means that on governance and the levers of power, which is part of the programme of action from the last ANC WL, women have made huge advances and strides, and achieved some tangible results. However, despite the progress that we are acknowledging, we note that the majority of South African women have not as yet fully tasted the fruits of liberation, particularly working class, rural, and poor women.

The ANC Women's League has to lead in developing the environment we need in this country to ensure that women are not only equal to men on paper, but that the public discourse on the rights of women are heard and are implemented. We have a long way to go before that is fully achieved.

For example there is still a large number of women who are economically dependent on men, which limits their autonomy and ability to develop independently of those men. It also affects their decision-making capabilities, as they cannot act against the man in cases of abuse for example, if they have no income and no shelter. Such women then find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle of domestic violence because of such dependency.

As a movement that is biased towards the workers and the poor, we must also bear in mind that there are more women than men who live in poverty. We must ensure that the benefits of the Women's struggle filter down to the poor women as well.

We therefore need to look at women empowerment broadly to include improving access to opportunities to all women, and not just the elite and educated women only. If we fail to do this, the ANC Women's League will be seen as an organization whose role is to help elite women get senior positions in government and other sectors. The resolutions taken in Polokwane speak to the delivery of services that would improve the lives of women, especially rural and poor women.

The ANC Women's League will be relevant to the needs of women in the rural areas and informal settlements, if it actively works to assist them to access services such as water, shelter, electricity. The economic space occupied by women in our country is a struggle we still have to wage and win, and that is another challenge for the ANC WL.

The right to education may be statutory, but we have to ask ourselves if every girl child is being given the opportunity to attend and finish school. The ANC Women's League should also take up the issue of job creation for women, especially in the rural areas. Women in the rural areas of our country are the backbone of our agricultural economy, and we have to ensure that they are given the opportunity to develop and create thriving rural economies that ensures food security.

The ANC resolutions in Polokwane speak to the need for rural development to be responsive to the needs of women. Rural development will include the building of infrastructure such as roads, dams, bridges and other facilities that would improve the lives of women and other residents, as well as to create the much-needed jobs.

The issue of poverty alleviation and food security must also be given a new meaning. We need the Women's League to be in the forefront of initiatives to deal with such issues, to assist women and households in general to deal with the impact of the rising food prices. Food security matters are going to dominate the agenda as we move closer to next Year's elections.

We trust that you will be able to discuss these issues and come out with a clear programme of action, with specific targets and deadlines about what is it that you are going to do, how and by when.

Another critical area is that of climate change, as natural disasters affect women directly and severely because of their social roles and the impact of poverty. When there are floods, cyclones, or drought, women bear the brunt. The Women's League cannot be left behind therefore, in discussions around a climate change policy for the country.

There are many other social issues that affect women that the League can take up. These include the plight of widows and orphans, who are vulnerable and open to abuse by relatives and others who take advantage of their situation. The many child-headed households in our communities also need active support from the ANC Women's League and other ANC structures. The 2001 official statistics put child-headed households at the more than 248 000 in our country. This figure has naturally grown given the challenge of HIV and AIDS. We have to make the ANC relevant to the lives of the people by tackling issues that affect them directly.

Comrades, information is power, and women need to have access to that power. One of the discussion documents for this conference points to that important challenge.

The World Association of Christian Communication indicates in one of your discussion documents that while women constitute 52% of the world's population, they make up only 21% of those represented in the news and that 86% of spokespersons are men, in addition to 83% of experts quoted in the media, who are also men. The report says that women are focus of only 10% of news stories. The marginalisation of women in the media perpetuates stereotypes that give an impression that women do not belong in the mainstream of society. These are some of the areas you need to look at critically.

What needs attention also, is access to information by women in rural areas and illiterate women, who need such information to access services and to improve their lives. Comrades, for the Women's League to be able to deal with all these challenges, it must grow. We urge all South African women to join the ANC Women's League, regardless of age, class or race. The League is the fighting force that keeps the ANC on its toes with regards to the historic mission of ensuring gender equality.

Comrades you are familiar about the subtle tension that exist within the ANC WL between the elite and non-elite women (for a lack of a better phrase). The only way we can resolve this issue is by encouraging all women who are in the ANC to join the ANC Women's League. In that way, the perceptions that exist which say elite women use the ANC or the Women's League to advance their careers can be dealt with.

As part of building the Women's League, we also need to find a way to bring young women into the ranks of the Women's League. There must be a seamless transition for every young woman who has been part of the Youth League also to be part of the Women's League. We accept also that women's emancipation is the responsibility of all comrades in the ANC, not just women. At the same time, we believe it is the responsibility of the Women's League to ensure that it organises women to enable it to influence the ANC direction with regards to the empowerment of women.

As Comrade OR said: "The Women's Section is not an end in itself. It is a weapon of struggle, to be correctly used, against all forms and levels of oppression and inequality in the interests of a victorious struggle of the people".

As the league grows, it should also prioritise the renewal of the ethos and culture of the movement. This is central to the strengthening of the ANC and all its structures. Central to this renewal is the need to inculcate discipline. The League must act strongly against disruptive elements within its structures.

We cannot allow some few members to disrupt proceedings of the League's constitutional meetings. The North West experience should be just an isolated incident that would not become a permanent feature in the Women's League. The issue of discipline must be taken very seriously within the Women's League.

Comrades, next year we hold the fourth democratic elections, which will be highly contested. We need all ANC structures to be in a state of readiness. The ANC Women's League has lways played a pivotal role in elections and in ensuring that the ANC gets an overwhelming majority. We must all put everything aside as we go on the election trail.

Comrades, we have come a long way as a country and as the ANC.

Our vision for a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and united South Africa is a vision we must work tirelessly to achieve. Our nation has to be built on the strengths provided to us by the leadership that has walked before us and by whom we were shaped to lead the forging of a strong South African nation.

We owe the success of the ANC to stalwarts that had walked on this land, sacrificing all so that this country can be free, such as Comrade Joe Nhlanhla who passed on yesterday. When soldiers fall, we do not cry, we dip our hats and say "fare thee well, you have played your part for the national democratic revolution"!

Comrade Nhlanhla has laid the groundwork; it is up to us as the ANC and all its structures, to achieve the goals that he and all our stalwarts lived for.

May the ANC Women's League grow from strength to strength, spurred on by the memories of Joe Nhlanhla and all our stalwarts and leaders who built the foundations of this democracy.

I wish you a successful Congress!

Amandla!!
I thank you.

This is the text of the opening address of the President of the African National Congress, Jacob Zuma, to the ANC Women's League Conference, Mangaung Vista Campus, July 3 2008