Celebrating National Women’s Day in the Republic of South Africa, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Johannesburg, Mr Tang Zhongdong hosted the South Africa-China Women’s Forum, in collaboration with the Africa-Chinese Women’s Association.

The forum’s engagement session is aimed at celebrating the role of women in both Chinese and South African societies, which is held under the theme: “Women Together for a Shared Future”.

The celebration takes place just days before the BRICS Heads of State and Government Summit, scheduled to take place from 22-24 August 2023 at the Sandton Convention Centre, where South Africa will play the chairmanship role as the host of the summit.

During the course of the event, women’s representatives from both the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa met in Sandton to discuss topics including: “BRICS cooperation in women’s view” and “Independent and self-sufficient women”.

Welcoming delegates to the summit, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Johannesburg Mr Tang Zhongdong said, women have been in the forefront of change in society, from education to holding prominent leadership positions in firms and heading households.

“Regardless of culture or background, women in both countries have shown remarkable resilience and exceptional leadership qualities in different disciplines. These include leadership roles in parliament, corporate, politics and society, amongst other roles women occupy, to avail trade opportunities in both countries”.

“China General Office in Johannesburg, our office has participated in the discussion on the gender parity and social responsibility between the two countries. This is to advance and acknowledge the strides made by women in promoting gender and equality”, said Zhongdong during his opening remarks.

As South Africa commemorates the 2023 instalment of Women’s Day, where in 1956, approximately 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to petition against the country’s pass laws that required South Africans defined as “black” under The Population Registration Act under the apartheid government, that served to maintain population segregation.

Women’s month in South Africa is celebrated every year on the 9th of August, and there has been a call to prioritize women in leadership roles and ensure there is sufficient gender parity. The summit is also being attended by the representatives of political parties in South Africa and government structures.

According to the statistics revealed, South Africa has more than 50% population representation in the country, and these numbers have also seen an increased portion in management and other key leadership roles of our society and economy. It is no longer a domestic role that women occupy these days, however, the diversity has allowed this change in the society at large.

Parental rights and the pay gap between men and women in South Africa has also been discussed at the summit, ensuring there is an equal balance in a bid to prioritize and highlight the significance of women in society. We also need to look at the achieved milestones of women in advancing the gains made in the country and in particular in their communities they serve.

Literacy rate of women between China and South Africa, has shown a steady upright growth in China being the highest in the literacy rate as compared to South Africa. This is one of the concerns the two countries want to foster, collaborate on and ensure there is mutual growth on sharing resources and skills capacity.