Appointing more women to positions of power is not enough to bring more attention to the problems they face, Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said on Tuesday, National Women’s Day.
”Simply appointing women to more positions of power, however noble the intent, will not necessarily bring more attention to women’s issues. The problems women face are systemic, and must be dealt with at every level,” Leon said in Tzaneen.
He said National Women’s Day — in commemoration of August 9 1956, when thousands of women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest the extension of passes to black women — should serve to address human rights issues, social problems and political problems.
In another Women’s Day message, Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder said women still face discrimination and glass ceilings in society.
”We do not dare close our eyes to its existence,” Mulder said.
Women’s Day is a reminder of the ”tangible difference” women have made in job creation, development and education, he said. — Sapa