Women's Day Celebration

31 July 2008

The 1956 heroines will be celebrated during this year's Provincial Women's Day Celebration scheduled to take place at the Union Buildings, on the 9 th of August 2008.

The year 2008 marks the 52 nd anniversary of the women's anti-pass march to the Union Buildings in 1956. This historic march marked a turning point in the role of women in the struggle for freedom and society at large. Since that eventful day, women from all walks of life became equal partners in the struggle for a non-racial and non-sexist South Africa .

The theme for the 2008 Women's Day celebrations is Business Unusual: All Power to Women! The celebration event planned for this year intends to build on the recent memorial events, in particular the recent celebration of the 50 th Anniversary of the historic march to the Union Buildings. The Provincial Government call upon all sectors of society to celebrate women who managed to become models of community development against what often seemed to be insurmountable odds.

Progress has been made in the emancipation and empowerment of women in South Africa . Many more women have access to basic services such as housing, education, health, free basic electricity, economic status and full citizenship that does not tie them to marry men in order to access certain rights such a property, employment.

"While significant progress has been made in the fight against poverty, many women are still trapped in a sea of poverty and deprivation because of disempowerment and illiteracy. In an attempt to speed up the empowerment of women, government will increase its efforts to facilitate the entry of women into the mainstream economy. We also call upon all sectors of society, to work together to bring an end to the marginalization of women in the economic sector", said MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Barbara Creecy.

The event is being organized jointly by the Gauteng Provincial Government in partnership with the City of Tshwane . The day's activities will start with the Health Walk where about 20 000 women will gather at Church Square before making their way to the Union Building through Church Street . Thereafter, the Premier will deliver a keynote address. The political programme will be followed by entertainment by leading South African artists such as Ladies in Jazz, KB and Deborah Frazer.

Media practitioners interested to cover the event are urged to collect accreditations at the Department from Tuesday, 05 between 08:00 am to 17:00 pm at the following address No. 38 Rissik Street, Nedbank Building, 8 th Floor, corner Market street, Johannesburg.

For more information contact: Nomazwe Ntlokwana on 011 355 2578 / 083 507 8068

Issued by the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation