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By Johnathan Paoli
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has called for deliberate, collective action to dismantle systemic barriers holding women back, while recognising the progress achieved over three decades of democracy.
Delivering the keynote address at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Women’s Dialogue, Kubayi emphasised that the responsibility for achieving gender equality could not rest solely on women.
“Women emancipation cannot only be left to women; it is everyone’s business. We must deliberately design gender-conscious programmes to empower women, otherwise they will always fall behind,” she said.
The dialogue, which was held under the theme “Empowering Women and Being the Voices of Change: What Are We Doing as Women in Leadership to Empower Other Women?”, forms part of Women’s Month commemorations.
It brought together academics, municipal leaders, business executives, union representatives and students.
VUT Vice-Chancellor Khehla Ndlovu opened proceedings by urging participants to “reimagine responsibility” in leadership and to amplify diverse women’s voices in building a more inclusive society.
Kubayi acknowledged the resilience of women who had broken barriers across society, despite immense challenges.
However, she warned that many obstacles remain entrenched.
“As we celebrate women who, against all odds, have managed to climb the social ladder, we must more vigorously fight to break the unnecessary barriers they have had to overcome,” she said.
Citing Statistics South Africa figures, she noted that women continued to face higher unemployment rates than men, with Black African women being the most vulnerable.
In the first quarter of 2025, their unemployment rate stood at 40.2%.
Women were also more likely to be employed in the informal sector, seasonal work, or jobs with unsocial hours, often making it difficult to balance family and professional responsibilities.
The minister highlighted further structural barriers, including limited access to transport, male-dominated workplace cultures and the persistence of discriminatory practices that prevented women from advancing to higher levels of responsibility.
“Women are frequently passed over for promotions, and certain work areas remain traditional male preserves. These are not natural laws, they are rules we must change,” she stated.
Despite these challenges, Kubayi stressed that measurable gains have been made where conscious interventions have been applied.
In the judiciary, she noted, representation has shifted dramatically since 1994.
Then, of 165 judges, 160 were white men, three were black men, and two were white women, with no black women represented.
Today, of the 252 judges in superior courts, 121 are women.
Six of the country’s 15 superior courts, including the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal, are led by women.
The magistracy has shown even greater transformation: of 1724 magistrates, 934 are women, representing 54% of the total.
“This progress shows what can be achieved when deliberate and conscious effort is made to promote women,” Kubayi explained.
By contrast, she observed that private legal practice remained slow to transform.
Many black and female legal practitioners were confined to areas such as labour or family law, with limited opportunities to develop expertise in lucrative, complex fields like commercial or maritime law.
“As a result, many women, especially black women, struggle to build sustainable practices and are more likely to leave the profession,” she said.
The minister argued that transformation required going beyond individual advancement to systemic change.
“Our efforts as individuals can move the needle only so far. The work needed to achieve gender equality requires that we challenge frameworks of power and change the rules to ensure that women benefit,” she said.
She endorsed recommendations from the United Nations on advancing gender equality in South Africa, including targeted recruitment and training for women in underrepresented sectors, stronger legislation ensuring equal pay for equal work, workplace policies that promote work–life balance, such as flexible hours and parental leave for both men and women, and affordable, quality care for children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
“These are concrete steps that can make workplaces safer and more inclusive for women, particularly in traditionally male-dominated sectors,” she said.
Kubayi concluded with a call for collective responsibility in accelerating women’s emancipation.
INSIDE EDUCATION