LULU Xingwana, the recently appointed minister for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities, is on a mission to demystify beliefs that her office was not doing enough to empower the women of South Africa.
Barely a week after her appointment the minister has been seen in public cracking the whip on public servants who are threatening the rights of women and children.
Xingwana's action followed allegations of inadequate conduct by officials in the department, who are handling the rape case of a 15-year-old girl from Soweto.
A day later she was in Durban visiting the families of the six people, including two children, a two-year-old and an eight-year-old, who were brutally killed in an attack on their homes at Entshongweni.
Xingwana said the visits were part of her department's mandate.
"It is a huge challenge. We are in our 16th year of democracy and our people have been waiting since 1994 for delivery. There is no time to take a break. We have to hit the ground running," she said.
Xingwana said her ministry's role was to ensure that issues of gender equality and women empowerment were prioritised by the government.
"We are not an implementing ministry. Our task is to monitor and evaluate the progress made by each department, province and municipality that has to implement policies aimed at empowering women.
"We also have to work with gender groups and the private sector to ensure that issues of women are taken seriously. Also, we have a responsibility to look after the welfare of children and the rights of people with disabilities," Xingwana said.
She said the department was relevant and played an important role in ensuring service delivery.
The minister said after the national gender machinery, which comprised gender groups from the public and private sectors, was evaluated, the need for a women's ministry became apparent. The national gender machinery had the responsibility to drive the transformation agenda.
"Women believe that the women's ministry will be more effective in ensuring that policies that have been passed since 1994 were monitored and implemented accordingly," Xingwana said.
She said the gender machinery had limited resources and did not have the infrastructure to drive the programmes for women and children.
Xingwana said challenges facing her ministry, such as finding people with relevant expertise and experience, were being dealt with.
The appointment of Nonhlanhla Mkhize as the department's director-general was just the beginning and Xingwana said she was ready for the task.
"We need to do a lot of consulting with all stakeholders. We have been weak in communicating with the world so that they know what we are doing and what we are about. Plans are now in place to strengthen the department," she said.
Xingwana is not new to prioritising the rights of women. Her experience, spanning more than two decades, has earned her the respect of colleagues in both government and in the private sector.
"I have been a gender activist all my adult life," she said.
Portfolios she has held include being head of the development section of the ANC Women's League, chairperson of the Malibongwe Rural Development Project for women and head of the parliamentary women's caucus.
The minister, who describes herself as a "rural girl", has also been actively involved in projects that encouraged the participation of women in mining and agriculture.
While she was arts and culture minister, Xingwana actively involved herself in initiatives that were aimed at the development of women in that sector.
Some of the projects she participated in included leading the process to declare the graves of women's struggle icons Helen Joseph, Lillian Ngoyi and Charlotte Maxeke national heritage sites. She ran this initiative with the South African Heritage Resources Agency in August this year.
Xingwana also launched the Women in the Arts Concert at the State Theatre in Pretoria, where she honoured women who had distinguished themselves in the arts.
Xingwana described projects and initiatives that focus on the development of rural women as "close to my heart".
As she prepared herself for her next activity, Xingwana had one message for women: "We are all going to work for this ministry. This is your home."
Xingwana cracks whip
LULU Xingwana, the recently appointed minister for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities, is on a mission to demystify beliefs that her office was not doing enough to empower the women of South Africa.
Barely a week after her appointment the minister has been seen in public cracking the whip on public servants who are threatening the rights of women and children.
Xingwana's action followed allegations of inadequate conduct by officials in the department, who are handling the rape case of a 15-year-old girl from Soweto.
A day later she was in Durban visiting the families of the six people, including two children, a two-year-old and an eight-year-old, who were brutally killed in an attack on their homes at Entshongweni.
Xingwana said the visits were part of her department's mandate.
"It is a huge challenge. We are in our 16th year of democracy and our people have been waiting since 1994 for delivery. There is no time to take a break. We have to hit the ground running," she said.
Xingwana said her ministry's role was to ensure that issues of gender equality and women empowerment were prioritised by the government.
"We are not an implementing ministry. Our task is to monitor and evaluate the progress made by each department, province and municipality that has to implement policies aimed at empowering women.
"We also have to work with gender groups and the private sector to ensure that issues of women are taken seriously. Also, we have a responsibility to look after the welfare of children and the rights of people with disabilities," Xingwana said.
She said the department was relevant and played an important role in ensuring service delivery.
The minister said after the national gender machinery, which comprised gender groups from the public and private sectors, was evaluated, the need for a women's ministry became apparent. The national gender machinery had the responsibility to drive the transformation agenda.
"Women believe that the women's ministry will be more effective in ensuring that policies that have been passed since 1994 were monitored and implemented accordingly," Xingwana said.
She said the gender machinery had limited resources and did not have the infrastructure to drive the programmes for women and children.
Xingwana said challenges facing her ministry, such as finding people with relevant expertise and experience, were being dealt with.
The appointment of Nonhlanhla Mkhize as the department's director-general was just the beginning and Xingwana said she was ready for the task.
"We need to do a lot of consulting with all stakeholders. We have been weak in communicating with the world so that they know what we are doing and what we are about. Plans are now in place to strengthen the department," she said.
Xingwana is not new to prioritising the rights of women. Her experience, spanning more than two decades, has earned her the respect of colleagues in both government and in the private sector.
"I have been a gender activist all my adult life," she said.
Portfolios she has held include being head of the development section of the ANC Women's League, chairperson of the Malibongwe Rural Development Project for women and head of the parliamentary women's caucus.
The minister, who describes herself as a "rural girl", has also been actively involved in projects that encouraged the participation of women in mining and agriculture.
While she was arts and culture minister, Xingwana actively involved herself in initiatives that were aimed at the development of women in that sector.
Some of the projects she participated in included leading the process to declare the graves of women's struggle icons Helen Joseph, Lillian Ngoyi and Charlotte Maxeke national heritage sites. She ran this initiative with the South African Heritage Resources Agency in August this year.
Xingwana also launched the Women in the Arts Concert at the State Theatre in Pretoria, where she honoured women who had distinguished themselves in the arts.
Xingwana described projects and initiatives that focus on the development of rural women as "close to my heart".
As she prepared herself for her next activity, Xingwana had one message for women: "We are all going to work for this ministry. This is your home."
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