Advancing and women's empowerment and promoting gender equality

The month, August is known as the National Women’s Month in South Africa. This is the month where women are celebrated and recognized for the role and immense contribution that they continue to make in advancing women’s struggles against all forms of discrimination including gender and patriarchy. The Department of Local Government acknowledges that the fight for equality is not a once-off event but a struggle and fight that should be waged daily until South Africa progresses towards the creation of a just and equal society.

The Sub-directorate: External Human Rights and Special Projects has a responsibility to co-ordinate and create an enabling environment for the successful mainstreaming of Human Rights concerns (Gender, Disability, Children, Youth, HIV/AIDS, and Older Persons concerns) into the core functions of all Thirty (30) municipalities in the Province. This is aimed primarily at ensuring that municipalities have a Human Rights-Based approach to service delivery and that no one is left behind in terms of Sustainable Development Goal number 5. Furthermore, the institutionalization of Human Rights concerns into the core functions of municipalities is implemented in line with Section 154 of the South African Constitution, which prescribes the role of the provincial government being that of  supporting and strengthening the capacity of municipalities to achieve their own regulatory and statutory obligations

In light of the above, the Sub-directorate planned and rolled out three (3) Human Rights support initiatives during August 2023. These support initiatives were preceded by briefing meetings with Beaufort West and Kannaland Municipalities on 3 and 8 August 2023, respectively. The purpose of the briefing meeting was to introduce Municipal Management and Municipal Council to the Human Rights Programme, by presenting to them the current gaps in their Municipalities in so far as Human Rights is implemented in their programs concerned.

The initiatives entailed the following:

1. Six (6) Human Trafficking Awareness Sessions were facilitated with Mossel Bay Municipality from 15 – 16 August 2023;
2. Gender Mainstreaming Capacity Building Session was facilitated at Prince Albert Municipality on 29 August 2023; and
3. Violence and Harassment Awareness Workshop facilitated at Prince Albert Municipality on 30 August 2023.

Human Trafficking has become a pandemic in many towns, where the most vulnerable community members lose their loved ones either by being abducted or sold to modern day slavery. With the increase in the number of human trafficking cases, the Department serves on the Provincial Human Trafficking Forum and has a responsibility of assisting municipalities to roll out Human Trafficking Campaigns. These campaigns seek to educate and provide awareness on Human Trafficking, reporting procedures and what to do when they are victims of Human Trafficking.

The Gender Mainstreaming Capacity-building Workshop was a continuation from the previous financial year where the Sub-directorate capacitated the Municipal Council of Prince Albert Municipality. This time around, however, the session targeted the Municipal Management. In the workshop, Gender Mainstreaming was introduced as the tool to achieve Gender Equality.  To operationalize Gender Mainstreaming in all the Municipality’s programmes, projects and operational plans is a long-term approach, therefore the Department will continue its gender mainstreaming support to Prince Albert Municipality until it makes progress towards achieving an equal society.

The Violence and Harassment sessions focus on eliminating all forms of violence and harassment practices in the workplace. Saying as much, the awareness sessions focus on educating the municipal officials on the different kinds of harassments in the workplace, what do when they are victims and which laws protect them when they are victims.