ZFM Celebrates its Women

The Executive Mayor of the ZF Mgcawu District Municipality, Councillor Maryna Basson recently held a special Women’s Day breakfast in honour of the women working at the District Municipality. The event formed part of the Women’s month programme of the Executive Mayor for the month of August.

Women’s month is celebrated annually in August as a celebration and commemoration of the approximately 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings in 1956 to petition against the Apartheid pass laws that required South Africans to carry a passport that served to maintain segregation between blacks and whites. Through the sacrifices of the women of 1956, we now live in a country which recognizes women as equal citizens, with equal rights and responsibilities. Our government continues to uphold its constitutional responsibility to protect, promote and advance the rights of women. The empowerment of women is key to our nation’s advancement.

This year National Women’s Day and Women’s Month will be celebrated under the theme: “Women’s Socio-Economic Rights and Empowerment: Building Back Better for Women’s Improved Resilience.” The event was organized to pay homage to the exceptional women working for the institution. “Your hard work, determination and commitment to the District Municipality does not go unnoticed. You do more than just work, you inspire,” she said.

As a District Municipality, we are committed to the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment. In the words of Tata Mandela, “Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression.”