On The Occasion Of The 2024 Women's Month Celebration
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| Mr Molefi Mabe - Principal |
30 August 2024
Thank you, Programme Director.
Please allow me to rise on the protocol that you already established and of which I approve, and say,
"All protocol observed."
San’bonani! Dumelang! Avuxeni! Good morning!
It gives me great pleasure to address this auspicious August house on behalf of the college management and
our stakeholders, as well as our partners within the skills development and training ecosystem.
Indeed, we are delighted this morning, to be surrounded by such beauty and smiles that resembles the
deep-rooted culture of respect and recognition of the most pivotal role played by our most precious women
personnel in positioning our college brand - EWC - as the centre of excellence.
We are here to send our heartfelt appreciation to all of you for your commitment and loyalty towards the
vision and mission of our institution, by ensuring that you dedicate most of your precious time and energy
serving our student population in their quest to become future leaders.
Never, in the history of humankind, was it so difficult to shape the future of a generation that is bedevilled
by so many social ills - like teenage pregnancy, drugs and substance abuse, persisting poverty and unemployment,
an entrenched culture of gender-based violence and femicide as well as patriarchy.
I am sure that most of you, particularly those with access to social media, will agree with me when I say
our women are no longer feeling safe in their homes and place of work because society, especially men, neglected
our responsibilities as role models to our boy children, who still believe that women are of an inferior class,
born to serve the interests of their male counterparts. Unfortunately, this is the culture still perpetuated
by some households who continue to believe that their girl children belong to the kitchen, and some places of
worship, using the gospel to discriminate against women.
Programme Director, as your male colleagues, we are here to let you know that we don't subscribe to any
notion that seeks to suggest that you are less human, made of a lesser God. We distance ourselves from those
among us who think, or may think, to abuse their entrusted positions of authority to bully you to succumb to
their sexual advances and wish to use to take this platform to caution everyone in our ranks to desist from
such practices, even if it is just a mere thought. We are warning everyone that this institution takes
seriously any purported case of sexual harassment and will not hesitate to act if such allegations can be
proven true.
We also want to assure you that we are doing everything in our powers to ensure a healthy working environment
with conducive conditions of employment. irrespective of gender or parity. My administration also commits to an
open-door policy to listen to your constructive inputs in advancing the cause of women, and making EWC a
safer place for our female staff and student community.
As we conclude this year's women's month commemoration, let us do so in remembrance of the 1956 class of
women from all walks of life who fearlessly took to the Union Buildings in Pretoria against the apartheid
government and its regressing policies of segregation. We recognise that many strides have been registered in
emancipating women since the dawn of democracy 30 years ago; however, more work still needs to be done to
permanently erode the culture of corruption and women abuse that continue to reduce women to the ashes of
poverty and unemployment.
As the former statesman and the founding father of our democratic state, Dr Nelson Mandela once said, "It
is only when you have reached the peak of a mountain, when one realisee that there are still more mountains
to climb." Let us enter the next chapter of our 30 years democracy with a pledge that says: 'It is not what
my country can do for me but rather what can I do for my country.' This new paradigm shift in our thinking
will make our dream of 'making South Africa a better place to live and work in' a reality.
With these few words, Programme Director, I thank you.
Molefi Mabe
Principal
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