Women still don’t have equal share of SA’s wealth and land: Ramaphosa

Seventy years after 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings against pass laws, they still do not have equal share of South Africa's wealth, land, or its enterprises, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared during his Women's Day commemoration speech at the 1956 march's site in Pretoria. Ramaphosa emphasized that women, who comprise more than half of the population, are underrepresented in the country's wealth, land ownership, and business sectors.

He noted the prevalence of women without work, lower wages for equal work, and the unacknowledged burden of caring for families, which must change. The government is actively working to rectify this imbalance, implementing programs such as the Women Economic Assembly to level the playing field. These initiatives include opening public procurement to women-owned businesses, integrating women-owned enterprises into major industries' value chains, and expanding access to finance, credit, and markets.

Ramaphosa highlighted that more women than men are enrolled in universities and colleges, but urged the need to encourage women to pursue careers in engineering, science, technology, and artisanal trades. The president underlined the importance of empowering women to drive their own destinies, stating that a skilled, self-employed, and healthy woman is in a position to determine her life's course.

Ramaphosa also condemned the exclusion of Afghan women and girls from education, employment, and public life, praising Malala Yousafzai for her fight for women's rights and extending solidarity to Afghan women and girls facing similar exclusions.