The chairperson of the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC), Ms Ingrid Dimo, said the employment of women in the public service is not a privilege but a right.<\/p>\n
She was speaking at the PSCBC Women\u2019s Empowerment event held in Pretoria on Thursday, August 22.<\/p>\n
She said the employment of women in the public service should be intentional and be based on competence. \u201cAt the PSCBC we are still dealing with challenges of woman empowerment, however, we have women in senior positions that are advancing the work of the PSCBC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe aim of today\u2019s gathering is also an awareness campaign to address all issues, which South African women still face in the workplaces or their homes such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, gender inequality and threatening diseases.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe PSCBC supports the initiative that propagate the support of women empowerment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
This year, the country, marked the National Women\u2019s Day under the theme: \u201c25 Years of Democracy: Growing South Africa Together for Women\u2019s Emancipation\u201d and coincides with the country\u2019s celebration of 25 years of freedom and democracy.<\/p>\n
Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) Deputy Director- General: Administration, Ms Linda Dludla who delivered the keynote address at the event on behalf of Public Service and Administration Minister, Ms Sindisiwe Chikunga, said the Call-To-Action for this year\u2019s campaign is, \u201cWhat Women Want,\u201d in support of this year\u2019s theme, which seeks to identify multifaceted issues affecting women.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe therefore make a call to all women to share their perspectives on the gains, the gaps, and the current struggles of women in government and boldly state what they would want to see happening in order to realize the agenda of women equality by participating in the #WhatWomenWant campaign,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ms Dludla urged the women who attended the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council Women\u2019s Empowerment event to participate by voicing their perspectives on different social media platforms using the #WhatWomenWant.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite the existing challenges in the 25 years of democracy, great strides have been made with regard to women empowerment.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany women have rightfully claimed their space in democratic South Africa by grasping at opportunities created by the democratic space.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere continues to be a significant increase in the intake of women into formal sectors of our economy and into leadership positions, particularly in the public sector where gender representation has improved significantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs government, we committed to ending gender-based violence which affects many young women. We have a zero-tolerance approach towards abuse and condemn all forms of gender-based violence and calls on all men to respect women\u2019s inherent dignity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Survivors of gender-based violence can call a 24-hour toll free number-0800 428 428.<\/p>\n\r\n