Golf courses must be made into family centres and not the exclusive preserve of men, Deputy Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development Cheryl Gillwald said at a gender conference in Pretoria on Friday.
”I have spoken to the business sector and asked that they open up golf courses to women and children too, so that we may all enjoy the facilities together,” she said.
Gillwald was hosting Swiss Foreign Affairs Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey at a gender equality luncheon at the Sheraton hotel in Pretoria.
Referring to the government’s ongoing campaign for gender equality, she said it is difficult in a transitional society to keep focus.
”If you take your eye off the ball for one second you lose your way,” she warned.
Gillwald informed Calmy-Rey that 30% of South Africa’s MPs are women but that only 8% of sources of political opinion in the media are women. She said, however, this is better than the 2% found in most countries of the world.
She said that women still receive a raw deal in the media with many being portrayed as victims or possessions.
But, she added, South Africa has made great gains in gender equality and in the fight against women and child abuse.
”We [women] won’t make the mistakes our brothers have done in the past. We won’t deride them but love them because they know they won’t manage transformation without us,” she said grinning.
Calmy-Ray said she was impressed by the ”magnitude of the work being done to address gender equality”.
”I am really impressed,” she reiterated.
She said it is a sad reality that violence against women and children often occurs at home but that it occurs in all countries.
”My goal [as Switzerland’s foreign minister] is to promote piece, democracy and human rights,” she said, adding that she was again impressed with South Africa as it had placed gender equality at the centre of its transformation process. — Sapa