Dear Editor
The month of August marks a time for our nation to celebrate the strides made in promoting and protecting the rights of women.
However, it is also the time to acknowledge broader society’s unreceptive attitude towards the socio–economic gains that women ought to have achieved. This attitude has manifested itself through the abuse that women continue to suffer.
Large numbers of women today are in fact the sole bread winners of their families. In South Africa, the personal experiences of many women are stories of challenges and despair. Some women may access all the benefits, but do rural women access these benefits equally? This division has been one of the legacies of apartheid, and we must therefore ensure that both urban and rural women have equally opportunities, and that women are treated with dignity and respect at all times.
I would like to encourage women to demonstrate their capabilities, and make use of their entitlements and opportunities.
Ms Millicent B. Sibisi
IFP Provincial Secretary Gauteng
Johannesburg
