SOUTH AFRICA: Migrant African Women Speak

A walk through the inner city – an area highly populated by Joburg's migrant community – is an opportunity to interact with people from almost all countries in Africa.

Most prominent are the women from central and west Africa, in their colourful flowing dresses and head scarves; Mozambican women braid hair on street corners - all have a different story to tell about their lives in Johannesburg.

On Wednesday, 15 September, Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane and the Refugee Ministries Centre had a chance to meet some of these women at the Turffontein Race Course. The gathering was held so that the women could talk about their daily struggles in South Africa – and to make sure they were heard.

In return, the premier told them about the services they could access, such as health and education, that would help improve their lives. She also spoke about how the migrant women could contribute to South Africa's economy.

Participants came from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Rwanda, Somalia and Zimbabwe, among other African countries.

Mokonyane began by mentioning the importance of women. “The 9 August is one of the most important national days in South Africa and it is very unfortunate that we have to hold this session a bit later than the actual Women's Day,” she said.

South African women, like women all over the world had been part of the struggle against gender discrimination and this caucus meeting was a way to identify the struggles that women still faced. “We hope our interaction will enable us to have a better understanding of your daily lives and that we can share with you information on the services available to you.

“As this is a meant to be a dialogue, we hope that we will all be enriched by it and more empowered to work towards improving the lives of our people and our brothers and sisters from the continent who live here among us,” she said.

Mokonyane also suggested that all women from Africa should join hands to fight their struggles. “There are rules and systems that are in place and the only way those systems are going to work is if every women is informed about them so that they can be exercised in order for them to have value in each and everybody's lives.”

Stella Mkiliwane, the director of the Refugee Ministries Centre, spoke about the daily challenges faced by foreign women living in Gauteng.

“A lot of the women complain about being violated and abused by others on a day-to-day basis here in South Africa, but more especially in Johannesburg. This should not be happening because we are all Africans and no-one has the right to judge any one,” she said.

After the speeches, the women broke into groups to share their experiences and discuss the way forward. The day seemed to have eased some of their concerns, as they were reassured that their problems and struggles were being dealt with to make a better life for everyone.

Mokonyane promised the women that such gatherings would be held regularly.

“We will meet with our sisters from other African countries to talk about what we can do together to improve the lives of women living in Gauteng and continue the struggle for total emancipation of women,” Mokonyane said.