WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP BY JESSIE TAYLOR
Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane
Fighting for the rights of vulnerable South Africans
C
reating an equal society hinges on including vulnerable groups in social and economic activity. This is the key work of the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, as she oversees the country’s programmes to create an inclusive society in which all South Africans have access to their rights.
LEADING THE WAY TO INCLUSION Minister Nkoana-Mashabane was appointed as Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities on 30 May 2019. She has had extensive experience running government ministries, having held the position of Minister of International Relations and Cooperation from 2014 to 2018 and Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform from 2018 to 2019. She has been a member of the ANC national executive
committee and national working committee since 2007. She has been a provincial convener of the Progressive Women’s Movement in Limpopo since 2007. Before democracy, Minister Nkoana-Mashabane was a member of the United Democratic Front and served on various underground structures of the Mass Democratic Movement and ANC. After 1994, she served on the ANC Women’s League and was made a Member of Parliament. She served in the diplomatic service and was high commissioner to Malaysia, servicing the Philippines and Brunei from 1995 to 1999. Minister Nkoana-Mashabane’s Department tackles three vulnerable groups in society, driving programmes to increase their participation in the economy and integration into society.
26 | Public Sector Leaders | March 2022
A SAFER SOCIETY FOR WOMEN One of the biggest challenges facing women in South Africa is gender-based violence. The World Health Organisation estimates that more than 12 women in every 100 000 are victims of femicide in South Africa each year. Alongside this, almost half of women have reported experiencing emotional or economic abuse at the hands of their intimate partners. Minister Nkoana-Mashabane’s Department has been working to implement the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on genderbased violence to reduce violence against women. The plan outlines a comprehensive strategic response to gender-based violence. To strengthen the NSP, President Cyril Ramaphosa recently approved the amendment of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment
