Deputy Minister Calls for Accountability on Gender Equality Progress Across State Institut

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP CONTINUES TO RESHAPE SOUTH AFRICA, DEPUTY MINISTER SAYS

Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Hon. Peace Mabe has used the occasion of Women’s Month to assess South Africa’s progress on gender equality, acknowledging gains across government, business, academia and sport while calling on state institutions, the private sector and communities to do more. Her remarks frame the 70th anniversary of the 1956 women’s march not as a historical endpoint but as a continuing mandate for policy action.

Additional reference context is available at https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/opinion-honouring-the-women-who-continue-to-shape-south-africa/.

Seventy years ago, more than 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria on 9 August 1956 to protest the extension of apartheid pass laws to African women. Led by Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, the march united women across racial, cultural and political lines. Their rallying cry, “Wathint’ Abafazi, Wathint’ Imbokodo” (You strike a woman, you strike a rock), became a declaration of collective political power. Beyond the celebrated leaders, thousands of workers, mothers, students, community organisers and rural women participated, understanding that freedom required unity.

That legacy now carries a governance dimension. Mabe was direct: women athletes should not have to achieve extraordinary results before receiving ordinary support. Equality in sport, she argued, must be visible in funding, salaries, broadcasting, leadership opportunities and long-term athlete development. Safe and well-maintained facilities must be accessible from grassroots level to the international stage. The statement amounts to a policy expectation directed at sporting bodies and government programmes alike.

The sporting record provides context for that demand. At the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Lara van Niekerk successfully defended her women’s 50-metre breaststroke title, winning gold. Aimee Canny secured two silver medals, while para-swimmer Danika Vyncke won silver and set a new African record in the women’s 50-metre freestyle S13. Erin Gallagher contributed bronze in the women’s 100-metre butterfly. These performances build on Tatjana Smith’s gold and silver medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Jo-Ané van Dyk’s Olympic silver in the women’s javelin, and Simone Kruger’s Paralympic gold in the women’s discus.

Team sport has produced its own milestones. The Proteas Women reached their first-ever 50-over ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final in 2025 and progressed to the semifinals of the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Banyana Banyana’s 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations victory remains a defining moment in South African football. The SPAR Proteas, the South African Women’s Hockey Team and Springbok Women continue to represent the country on global platforms. According to an opinion piece published at sabcnews.com, these athletes are not only winning medals and breaking records; they are challenging stereotypes and inspiring young girls to claim their place in sporting history.

Meanwhile, South African women are commanding global cultural stages. Tyla became the youngest African solo artist to win a Grammy Award in 2024 and secured another Grammy in 2026. DJ duo TxC took the 2025 BET Awards as a platform for South African music internationally. Artists including DBN Gogo, Kamo Mphela, Pabi Cooper and Nkosazana Daughter have become prominent ambassadors of the amapiano movement, reaching international audiences through performances, tours, festivals and collaborations.

At the 2025 National Arts and Culture Awards, women were recognised across several disciplines. Barbara Boswell received the Outstanding Book: Fiction Award. Nontobeko Ntombela was recognised as Outstanding Curator, Malebogo Naticia Molokoane received the Outstanding Visual Artist Award, and Napo Masheane was honoured for outstanding performance poetry. Filmmakers Jacintha de Nobrega, Xoliswa Sithole and Catharina Weinek were recognised for documentary film, documentary series and fiction film respectively. Through their work, these women are preserving memory, challenging inequality and ensuring South African stories are seen and heard.

Significant barriers remain. Many women continue to face poverty, unemployment, discrimination, unequal pay and limited access to economic opportunity. Women in rural communities and women with disabilities often encounter additional obstacles to participation and development. Gender-based violence and femicide remain among the gravest threats to women’s freedom, safety and dignity.

Mabe’s call to action was addressed to institutions as much as individuals. Government must continue strengthening programmes that advance women’s empowerment. The private sector must create fair opportunities for women to enter, lead and thrive. Communities must challenge harmful attitudes and practices that undermine women’s dignity. Men and boys must become active partners in building a society founded on equality. The stories of women who contributed to South Africa’s liberation and development must be documented, taught and celebrated, she said, so that young people understand the sacrifices that shaped democracy and are equipped to protect it. Whether the policy commitments she outlined will be matched by measurable investment in the next budget cycle remains the open question.