Fumane Diseko hit the streets to find out if sisters have felt the changes of the past four years
Sam Canham (30), unemployed, from Durban
`If a woman has been divorced, she should not pay taxes because they are the bread winners in the family and, at the end of the day, they have nothing and they can’t feed their kids. I also don’t think that they should have brought that [abortion] in. It gives anybody the right to just sleep around and make babies. They should actually only allow it for women who have been raped and people who have been abused.”
Anonymous (24), unemployed, from Sharpville
`Prostitution must be legalised and it must be from a protective angle. It must be taxed and if it is legalised, they can control the disease aspect as well. And they must make places where prostitutes can have check-ups, pap smears and condoms and learn self- defence.”
Anonymous (25), hair dresser, from Yeoville
`I think abortion is a good thing because of rape and lack of jobs. Those who evade maintenance must be arrested because the mother struggles to support the child.”
Faith Zwane (24), engineer in training
`I haven’t been paying much attention but I think I agree with the law that legalises abortion. I am for individuality … I disagree with a man having control of the woman’s affairs, so I am for women’s independence.”
Tholang Tseka (24), computer technician, from Yeoville
`I think they [the new laws] are great as long as they can be put into practice. The reason is that in the workforce, as a woman, you are still treated differently to the males, especially in my field. In information technology males are preferred to females, but women are quite capable of doing the same work.”
Nokuthula Mazibuko (25), radio news producer, from Kensington
`The more you get powerful women in high positions, the more reactionary society becomes. There is this backlash; you have had crimes against women increasing, especially against girl children.”
Dudu Mlambo (38), receptionist, from Yeoville
`I feel that everybody is being recognised. Everybody can voice their opinions. I’ve never had a problem in my gender, only with my race. The only thing I am happy about is that people can talk freely.”
Tshegofatso Dube (31), secretary at Naledi
`Women can now inherit property after the death of their husbands. They don’t become property of the husband’s family. In terms of polygamous marriage, the junior wives’ children also have the right to inherit from the estate of the husband.”
Virgy Ramokgopa (24), student, from Moletsane
`I saw that they altered everything because now women in a marriage can own property on their own and they don’t need to have their husband’s curatorship to enter into litigation. Women can own their properties. They are not regarded as minors anymore.”
Boitumelo Modise (27), student, from Daveyton
`The powers that we have been given are not enough; they have to add more, especially for domestic workers. It must also involve men, and child care must also involve men because the children belong to both men and women. In Parliament there must be a woman president; it’s always men.”
Clare Ceruti (32), communist, from Bellevue East
`The maintenance laws shift the burden completely to individuals instead of the state helping out. The law on maintenance aims at chasing around a few miserable individuals who are not people with pots of money in general.”