South Africa Urges Women to Shape National Dialogue

Speaking at the Women's Sector National Dialogue Preparatory Summit on Wednesday, Letsike said women must be more than participants in discussions.

South Africa's Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, has urged women to take a leading role in the country's National Dialogue process, describing it as a critical opportunity to influence the nation's future.

Speaking at the Women's Sector National Dialogue Preparatory Summit on Wednesday, Letsike said women must be more than participants in discussions. She stressed that they should be active partners in shaping policies, institutions and development priorities that affect communities across the country. The summit forms part of wider consultations feeding into South Africa's National Dialogue, an initiative aimed at reflecting on the country's democratic journey and identifying priorities for the years ahead.

Equality must be felt in everyday life, says Letsike

Marking 70 years since the historic Women's March of 1956 and three decades since the adoption of South Africa's Constitution, Letsike said the country must move beyond celebrating legal protections and focus on real-life outcomes for women and girls.

She noted that while women have secured a stronger presence in public life, many continue to face persistent challenges, including unemployment, poverty, gender-based violence and the burden of unpaid care work. Female-headed households remain among the most vulnerable groups, highlighting the gap between constitutional rights and everyday realities.

According to Letsike, these issues cannot be viewed in isolation because they are closely linked to broader social and economic inequalities. She argued that the National Dialogue should examine whether current systems and institutions are adequately designed to address the needs and experiences of women.

Future challenges must also be part of the conversation

Letsike encouraged participants to broaden discussions beyond existing concerns and consider emerging issues that could shape the future. She pointed to artificial intelligence, climate change, declining trust in democratic institutions and growing threats to the rights of women and marginalised communities as areas requiring urgent attention.

She also raised questions about how government policies can better support women in different sectors, including entrepreneurs, informal traders, farm workers and women with disabilities. Areas such as public transport, childcare services, digital transformation and local economic development, she said, should be planned with women's realities in mind.

Drawing lessons from international examples such as Uruguay's care economy reforms, Spain's approach to combating gender-based violence and Iceland's equality accountability measures, Letsike stressed that South Africa must develop solutions suited to its own history and constitutional values.

She concluded by saying the success of the National Dialogue would ultimately be judged not by the discussions held, but by the opportunities created, the institutions strengthened and the extent to which women, young people and persons with disabilities can fully benefit from the promises of democracy.