Women’s Month: Chikunga demands ‘economic power, not slogans’
· Citizen
“Putting financial control firmly in a woman’s hands,” the government’s message this year, as Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sidisiwe Chikunga, launched Women’s Month.
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Chikunga addressed the Empower Her market trade fair, taking place in Durban on Saturday, 1 August 2026.
Women calling the shots
Beyond these sloganeering and events, Chikunga wants women who are calling the shots, economically.
“The time for slogans has passed, and women must now take control of the wealth‑producing resources of the economy.
Chikunga said the Empower Her event was not simply an exhibition but a market‑access intervention designed to link women‑owned businesses directly with buyers, financiers and policymakers.
“Women of South Africa – rise, the baton is in your hands. Be empowered, to empower your nation,” she declared.
Women’s month
The Minister tied the launch to the Platinum Jubilee of the 1956 Women’s March, reminding the audience that the 20,000 women who marched on the Union Buildings were “authors of our liberation and freedom, the midwives of democracy, and the custodians of a future they would never fully see but boldly chose to build.”
Chikunga stressed that despite progress, women‑owned enterprises remain locked out of high‑value sectors due to systemic barriers: limited access to finance, procurement pipelines, technology, and formal markets.
“Too often, women‑owned enterprises are visible in policy language, but invisible in actual value chains. They are celebrated during Women’s Month but not tracked after the platform has closed. We are here to insist that this must change,” she said.
Priorities
The Minister outlined four priorities agreed at last year’s inaugural trade fair: setting a clear national direction for women’s economic empowerment, securing practical commitments from the private sector, opening value‑chain pathways, and placing women‑owned businesses at the centre of domestic and regional economies.
Beyond speeches
Chikunga urged partners to move beyond speeches
“Tell women‑owned businesses what sectors you are buying from. Tell them what your supplier requirements are. Tell them what commitments you are prepared to make after today.”
The minister stressed that women‑owned businesses are “not waiting to be discovered. “They are already here. They are producing, trading, employing, and ready for markets.”
Empowerment
She concluded by insisting that empowerment must be measured in deals struck, enterprises financed, and jobs created.
“An economy that undervalues the productive capacity of women underperforms by design. When women rise, nations rise. When women lead, nations prosper.”
Who were the 20 000 women?
Meanwhile, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation stressed that for generations, the names of many of the women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 have remained unknown.
“Through the “Who Were the 20 000 Women?” campaign, we are working with families, communities, researchers and the public to recover their names and make sure that their stories are not lost to history,” the foundation said.
“This growing list represents the names recovered so far, but many more women are still waiting to be remembered. Because protecting their legacy begins with remembering their names.”
The Foundation held a commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the 1956 Women’s March at Avalon Cemetery and in Newclare.