Category: English

The recently concluded commemoration of Women’s Month in August, has not closed the door on issues facing women. It remains a reminder of the need to keep the fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) going. 

Sunday, 9 August 2026, marked the 70th anniversary of the Women’s March to the Union Buildings, during which the women demanded an end to discriminatory pass laws.

While South Africa has made significant strides in advancing women’s rights, equality and participation in society, GBVF remains a stark reminder of the unfinished struggle for women’s freedom and dignity.

This was the message from Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, at the inaugural meeting of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Board in Pretoria recently. 

The meeting followed the appointment of the Council members by President Cyril Ramaphosa for a period of three years, effective from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2029.

The operationalisation of the National Council comes in a year that marks two other defining milestones in South Africa’s democratic journey: 50 years since the 1976 Youth Uprising and 30 years since the adoption of the Constitution.

These milestones provide an opportunity to reflect on how far South African women have come since 1956, while acknowledging the challenges that continue to prevent women and girls from fully enjoying the rights secured through decades of struggle.

The 1956 Women’s March, when about 20 000 women from across racial and political backgrounds marched against the extension of pass laws to women, became one of the defining moments in the country’s struggle against apartheid.

Seven decades later, women occupy positions of leadership across government, business, academia, civil society and other sectors of society, while constitutional and legislative reforms have entrenched equality and prohibited discrimination based on gender.

Chikunga said the progress represented by these achievements cannot be separated from the courage and sacrifices of the women who came before.

“Today is not just an inaugural meeting of a Board, but it is the commencement of a constitutional mandate. These milestones remind us that freedom, equality and dignity are not self-executing ideals. They require institutions, leadership and collective action,” she said.

The Minister noted that the establishment of the Council is itself a reflection of how far the country has progressed since the struggles of previous generations.

She said what started as a struggle for basic rights and freedom has evolved into a constitutional commitment to equality, dignity and the protection of all people.

However, Chikunga warned that the continued prevalence of GBVF represents one of the most profound contradictions between the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the lived experiences of many women and girls.

“The establishment and operationalisation of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide is one of many milestones of freedom where South Africa refuses to normalise violence against women and children.”
Chikunga said the creation of the Council is the culmination of years of advocacy and mobilisation by women, civil society, the private sector and academia. These efforts are consolidated through the National Strategic Plan on GBVF and ultimately given effect through an Act of Parliament.

Commitment
The Minister described the Council as more than the creation of another public institution, saying it represented an institutional commitment to addressing a problem that continues to undermine the gains made by women over generations.

“It is the institutional expression of our determination to complete the work of those who marched in 1956, those who rose in 1976, and those who drafted our democratic Constitution.”

The Minister said the 1976 Youth Uprising has also demonstrated the power of young people, including young women, to challenge injustice and demand a different future.

Three decades after the adoption of the Constitution in 1996, South Africa has a strong legal and constitutional framework guaranteeing equality, human dignity and freedom, she said.

Yet, Chikunga said, constitutional rights cannot be considered fully realised if women continue to alter their daily lives because of fear of violence.

“If the lived realities of women, because of gender-based violence, still determine where they can go; what opportunities they can pursue; whether they can participate freely in society, or whether they can live safely, such restrictions mean that, as a society, we have not adhered to the constitutional dictates,” Chikunga explained.

She said GBVF is fundamentally incompatible with the constitutional values of dignity, equality and freedom, adding that the Bill of Rights provides a clear basis for the Council’s existence.

The Minister stressed that the progress made by women over the past 70 years must be protected and advanced by ensuring that violence does not limit their ability to participate fully in society.

She said the goal must be to ensure that women and girls can exercise their rights in practice, rather than merely having those rights guaranteed on paper.

“The work of this Council must always be understood within its constitutional context. This Council exists because the Constitution demands it.”

Cooperation
The Minister said the Council’s success will depend on sustained cooperation across society, including government, civil society, labour, business, faith-based organisations, traditional leaders and communities.

South Africa, she said, now has the evidence, legislation and institutional mandate required to strengthen its response to GBVF.

The responsibility now rests with the newly established Council to help translate the hard-won gains of generations of women into lived realities, ensuring that freedom, equality, dignity and safety are enjoyed by every woman and girl in South Africa.

For Chikunga, the 70-year journey from the Women’s March of 1956 to the present is both a celebration of progress and a call to complete the work that remains.

The women who marched in 1956 challenged a system that sought to restrict their freedom. Seven decades later, the struggle has taken a different form — ensuring that the freedoms and rights secured through that struggle are not undermined by violence, fear and inequality.

In terms of section 6(6)(a) of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act, the President designated Dr Ramalepe Lebogang Mathibe as the Chairperson of the Council and Welheminah R. (Shoki) Tshabalala as the Deputy Chairperson.

The end of Women’s Month does not mean that the fight against GBVF should end.  Communities can play their part by encouraging victims to seek help from the police and informing them about shelters and other support services that can help them rebuild their lives. – SAnews.gov.za

Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong has described the establishment of local community radio station, Pheli FM, as a beacon that has touched countless lives, offered hope and served as a trusted companion.

The deputy minister, together with the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), handed over studio equipment at Pheli FM situated in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria, on Friday.

The new studio equipment is expected to improve the station’s broadcasting and production capabilities and enhance the quality of its content while providing a more efficient working environment for presenters, volunteers and producers.

“Celebrating 10 years on air this past December is no small feat. It is indeed a testament to the station’s fortitude in an ever increasingly tough media landscape,” Morolong said.

Morolong praised the station’s longevity, citing it as the true ethos of community radio. 

“Pheli FM is deeply embedded in the daily life of the people it serves. It knows the heartbeat of local schools, the small businesses, the community organisations, religious centres, sports clubs and the young people in this community actively searching for opportunities,” he said.

The deputy minister noted the station’s collaboration with residents in documenting the history of Atteridgeville.

“This project highlights just how intertwined the station’s identity is with the people themselves.  When a community has a platform to speak and engage on, it gains the power to find its own solutions. 

“Like so many townships across our country, Atteridgeville continues to wrestle with deep-seated challenges of crime, unemployment, poverty and limited opportunities which are all direct consequences of the legacy of apartheid.   

“We must remember that this township was deliberately designed by the apartheid regime under the Group Areas Act as a segregated dormitory settlement. To overcome this history, we need media platforms that do not merely broadcast what is wrong but actively illuminate what can be done,” Morolong said.

He added that there is a need for platforms that connect people directly to opportunities, inspire young talent and strengthen social cohesion.

“Pheli FM has chosen not to stand on the sidelines, but to stand with this community as part of the solution. You have embraced your mandate to inform, educate, and entertain by actively countering the weight of history by cultivating a culture of skills development and hope.   

“By opening your doors to train local youth as presenters, producers and technicians, you are placing real tools for growth directly into the hands of the community.

“The importance of community media in South Africa cannot be overstated,” he said.

The deputy minister said since the 2004/2005 financial year, the MDDA has funded 361 community radio and television stations. – SAnews.gov.za

Durban Tourism has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the tourism sector and supporting local tourism enterprises through the handover of tools of trade valued at a combined R720 000 to 24 tourism businesses.

The beneficiaries emerged as first and second runners-up in the fifth Durban Tourism Business Awards, held in June 2026.

Category winners received their prizes at the awards ceremony in June, while this week’s handover completed the prize-giving process, with the runners-up receiving tools of trade tailored to their operational needs.

The support included electronics, furniture, office equipment and other essential business tools, based on the specific requirements identified by each beneficiary.

The intervention is aimed at strengthening the businesses’ day-to-day operations, improving their capacity and creating an enabling environment for them to grow and contribute meaningfully to Durban’s tourism economy.

eThekwini Municipality Chairperson of the Economic Development and Planning Committee, Thembo Ntuli, said the city recognised the important role played by innovative tourism businesses in growing Durban’s tourism offering.

“The success of Durban as a tourism destination is linked to the strength, resilience and competitiveness of the businesses and people who form part of our tourism value chain. The handover of these tools of trade is about ensuring that our tourism businesses have the necessary resources to strengthen their operations and grow,” Ntuli said.

He added that supporting tourism enterprises is critical to building a vibrant and inclusive tourism economy that creates opportunities for local businesses and communities. –SAnews.gov.za 

Government, working with the private sector, is making tangible progress in the fight against Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).

This is according to Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp, who addressed the TLU SA Congress held in Pretoria.

Over the past week, the North West province recorded no new cases of FMD for the first time since December 2025.

“Government and the private sector have worked together to import over 23 million vaccine doses. We are making steady progress with the vaccination of cattle in all provinces.

“Every single commercial dairy cow in South Africa has received their first dose of vaccine. That is over 1.38 million animals. Second-round booster distributions are already moving forward rapidly. Government must not become a bottleneck in animal healthcare. That is why we established a legal path for farmers to vaccinate their own herds,” Aucamp said.

READ | North West records first week with no new FMD cases
 

To date, more than 1000 farmers have registered on the department’s online systems to be classified as an authorised person to vaccinate their own cattle.

“Farmers also have the option to use any of the approved online systems provided by private sector stakeholders, such as the platforms provided by RMIS [Red Meat Industry Services], SAAI [Southern African Agri Initiative] and Buffalo Analytics.

“I want to urge farmers who have the means to proactively vaccinate their cattle to do so,” the Minister said. 

The registration process is as follows:
·       Apply on the FMD Reporting system to be approved as an “Authorised Person” to administer the FMD vaccine.
·       Once you are approved as an “Authorised Person”, you will be required to give notice five days (it will change soon) prior of your intention to vaccinate.
·       Notice should be given to the Provincial Director: Veterinary Services or the State Veterinarian in your area. You will then be able to procure the FMD vaccine directly from the veterinarian in your area.
·       Importantly, within 14 days after administering the vaccine, you must provide the local State Veterinarian with the required feedback on the vaccines that you have administered. This feedback report will include various details of the animals vaccinated, the vaccine used, and the location of the farm where the vaccine was administered.

“This feedback can be done either via the online system or in writing. When you manage biosecurity on your own farm, our national defence against animal disease grows stronger,” Aucamp said.

He told the congress that partnering with government can “unlock incredible potential”.

“We can cut through red tape, streamline strict regulations, and open lucrative new export markets. Joint action, as seen in our fight against Foot and mouth disease, allows us to secure necessary vaccines faster and protect vital supply chains.

“When state policy aligns directly with the practical needs of organised agriculture, we create stability. Government creates the enabling framework, and you do what you do best: farm productively and ensure food security in the country,” Aucamp said. – SAnews.gov.za

If South Africa is to achieve meaningful economic transformation, women entrepreneurs must be given more access to finance, markets, procurement opportunities and investment, Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga said on Friday. 

Delivering a keynote address at the Womanpreneur Pitch & Match 2026 at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in Sandton on Friday, Chikunga said women’s economic empowerment remained one of the unfinished tasks of South Africa’s democracy.

“Women’s economic empowerment is not only a matter of social justice; it is a growth and development strategy. The reality, however, is that we have not yet translated this extensive policy and legislative architecture into the scale of economic empowerment required to achieve real justice for women,” Chikunga said.

Chikunga noted that the Womanpreneur Pitch & Match has evolved from a competition into a genuine instrument of economic transformation, connecting women entrepreneurs to capital, markets, investors, and supply chains.

She linked the event to the country’s commemoration of 70 years since the 1956 Women’s March, 50 years since the 1976 Youth Uprisings, and 30 years of the Constitution.

The Minister said the women of 1956 marched for dignity, while the youth of 1976 rose for opportunity, with the Constitution subsequently enshrining dignity, equality, and non-sexism as foundations of democracy.

“Today, our task is to translate those victories into economic inclusion,” Chikunga said.

Chikunga said the country needs to work towards a society where women with viable business ideas can access the capital, markets, networks, and opportunities required to grow.

Strengthening women’s participation in the economy

The Minister highlighted several government interventions aimed at strengthening women’s participation in the economy. 

These include, among others, preferential procurement policy, which now requires at least 40% of public procurement opportunities to benefit women-owned and other designated enterprises, while Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment encourages companies to support women-owned enterprises through supplier and enterprise development.

She also pointed to the Public Procurement Act, signed into law in July 2024, which is being operationalised through draft regulations. 

“Government has already trained close to 6 000 women-owned businesses to bid for and win state contracts, and departments are required to monitor and report on women’s participation in every procurement process,” Chikunga said.

The Minister also highlighted the R897 million Imbali For Her blended finance programme, launched by the Department of Small Business Development and the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA) in May.

The three-year programme offers up to R5 million per applicant, with grants of 40% for able-bodied women and 50% for women with disabilities. It is expected to support close to 975 women-owned businesses and sustain about 2 250 jobs.

“SEDFA has already disbursed R454 million to women-owned businesses in a single quarter and has reached almost half a million women beneficiaries over the past three years.”

However, Chikunga warned that commitments and approvals are not enough.

“Commitments and approvals are not disbursements, and disbursements are not yet jobs,” she said, calling on development finance institutions and private-sector partners to convert commitments into actual funding for women-owned businesses.

She challenged corporate South Africa to increase procurement spending directed towards women-owned businesses, strengthen supplier development and provide innovative financing and patient capital. 

Chikunga also called for women to be supported, not only as suppliers, but as manufacturers, exporters and industrialists.

“The true measure of today’s success will be measured by how many of these businesses have more customers, more capital, more contracts and more employees when we return to this room next year,” she said.

She congratulated the Womanpreneur Alumni Class of 2025 and the Top 10 Finalists of 2026, saying their businesses are already contributing to employment and economic growth.

“Empowered women do not only empower nations, but they also build industries, create jobs, grow economies and change the future,” Chikunga said. – SAnews.gov.za