Cape Town — President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to the women of South Africa and said black and coloured women have been hit the hardest by poverty since the dawn of democracy.
Ramaphosa was speaking at a special Women’s Day commemoration at the Dennis Nel stadium in the Northern Cape. He gave special honour and praise to the hard-working women of South Africa but acknowledged that black and coloured women remain at the bottom when it comes to job opportunities, EWN reported,
Ramaphosa said the government had made strides to improve the lives of all women, more work still needs to be done to ensure greater equality. He said South Africa remains an unequal country.
“Poverty still has the face of a black woman. When you want to understand poverty in SA, you just need to look at the faces of a black and coloured woman. Those are the faces you need to look at and you will see poverty,” he said.
Over the past 30 years of democracy, South Africa has made significant strides in advancing gender equality in all sectors of society, including the economic empowerment of women. pic.twitter.com/XtyGdzypJp
— The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) August 9, 2024
He said black women are more likely to remain unemployed, poor and work unskilled jobs, which has stemmed from cultural norms and practices which were the product of colonialism and Apartheid.
According to TimesLIVE, Ramaphosa said there are millions of South African women who are supported each month by social grants, which enable them to take care of their families. He added that South Africa does have a high female literacy rate, with a difference between girls and boys in primary school enrolment.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
