Women's Day is an ideal time to celebrate and reflect on the status of women today, and the advances made since that historic day when South African women organised one of the largest and most successful protest marches in the country's history. On 9 August 1956 an estimated 20 000 women of all creeds and colours marched upon the Union Buildings in Pretoria in a united show of opposition against apartheid pass laws.

There is no doubt that South Africa has made considerable progress in becoming a more gender equitable society. Globally speaking, we rank fairly well in gender equality. In the 2007 Social Watch Gender Equity Index, South Africa ranked 42nd out of 154 countries and second in Africa. 

Yet it would appear that many of the newly legislated rights remain largely on paper and out of reach of many of our women. Violence against women is one of the biggest social challenges this country continues to face. Another paradox is that although women's rights have never been better, sexual abuse has never been worse.

A survey recently released by Ipsos Markinor found that about 26% of South African women feel their personal safety has steadily deteriorated, with women over 50 feeling the most vulnerable.

We clearly need to do a lot more than merely legislate to end all forms of abuse and violence against women, including the crime of rape. We need to do far more than celebrate the advances of women once a year on 9 August.

We need to inculcate a culture of respect towards women through formal education as much as through promotion of family values.

Similarly, a true sense of gender equality cannot be achieved through artificial empowerment of a few token females but by pushing back the frontiers of poverty and underdevelopment that characterise the lives of millions of women, particularly in the rural areas of this country.

Dr Lionel Mtshali

Leader of the Official Opposition

Contact: Dr Lionel Mtshali, 083 256 4902