Presentation to the Justice and Constitutional Development

1
COMMISSION ON GENDER EQUALITY

• Presentation to the Justice and Constitutional
  Development
• Portfolio Committee
• 7 November 2007

2
Overview of presentation

• What were key aspects of the CGEs
  strategic/business plan for 2006/7, and in
  particular what were its key targets?
• How has the CGE performed in terms of the plan
  and in particular the key targets? Where you did
  not achieve these targets, why was this the case?
• How was the budget allocated for the 2006/7
  financial year used?
• What lessons were drawn from the CGE experiences
  of the 2006/7 financial year? How has this
  influenced the strategic/business plan for this
  and future financial years?
• What are key aspects of the strategic plan for
  this financial year and the mid-term?
• What are some of the key challenges facing the
  CGE and how are these being addressed?
• Apart from exercising effective oversight, how
  can the Portfolio Committee be of assistance to
  the CGE?
• What are other specific issues that the CGE wants
  to raise with the Committee?

3
Key aspects of the CGEs strategic plan for
2006/7 and key targets

• To provide a range of quality and accessible
  services
• Develop programmes to promote access to services
  to improve stakeholder satisfaction
• Strengthen outreach services
• Achieved
• To influence legislation and policies to be
  gender-sensitive
• Respond to all legislation and relevant policy
• Achieved

4
Performance of the Commission on Gender Equality
in 2006/7

• Public Education and Information
• Develops, manages and conducts information and
  education programmes, including workshops and
  campaigns, for the promotion and attainment of
  gender equality
• Research
• Undertakes monitoring and evaluation research in
  all provinces with regard to the implementation
  and implications of legislation and gender
  policies and programs
• Legal Services
• Investigates gender-related issues on its own
  accord or upon receipt of a complaint Evaluates
  and monitors any Act of Parliament or any other
  law or treaty affecting or likely to affect
  gender equality or the status of women and makes
  submissions to Parliament with regard thereto.

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National Outreach Record
N of events all provinces N of participants
Workshops 250 875
Dialogues 22 468
Campaigns 30 19 099
Exhibitions 33 18 300
Constituency estimation 335 38 742 X 200
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National Complaints Record
Nature of the Complaints Files handled Closed Current/pending
Gender Discrimination 32 15 17
Domestic Violence 63 19 44
Maintenance 49 28 21
Divorce 19 10 9
Custody Access 12 6 6
Estate 20 7 13
Gender-Based Violence 32 14 18
Sexual Harassment 26 8 18
Labour 32 11 21
Unlawful Eviction 5 4 1
Claim for Restitution 1 0 1
Tradition /Culture 7 6 1
Others 41 25 16
Total 339 153 186
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Nature of complaint GP LP WC MP NW FS KZN EC NC Total
Gender Discrimination 3 3 15 0 0 0 15 3 1 40
Domestic Violence 7 16 8 0 11 0 9 6 2 59
Maintenance 13 25 0 0 2 7 20 15 6 88
Divorce 7 8 1 0 3 0 3 2 2 26
Custody access 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 2 2 8
Estate 5 8 1 0 5 4 1 0 0 24
Gender Based Violence 1 5 4 0 0 0 12 9 0 31
Sexual Harassment 1 2 12 0 0 1 9 4 1 30
Labour 4 14 1 0 1 1 9 1 0 31
Unlawful Eviction 0 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 7
Claim for Restitution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tradition/ culture 0 1 3 0 0 0 5 1 0 10
Other 0 12 12 0 3 0 17 1 8 53
Total 41 96 58 0 28 14 102 44 24 407
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Submissions

• Impact of the Promotion of Equality and
  Prevention of Unfair Discrimination
• Equality Legislation and Institutions that
  Promote Democracy
• Civil Unions Bill
• Sexual Offences Amendment Bill
• Commission on Gender Equality Act

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Advertising complaints

• First for Women (television)
• Teazers Strip Club (billboard)
• Teazers (newspaper)

10
Court Monitoring

• Eastern Cape 18
• KwaZulu-Natal 20
• North West 4
• Free State 4
• Western Cape 10
• Northern Cape 8
• Limpopo 25

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Amicus Curia

• Shilubane Chieftaincy matter
• Masiya matter
• Pensionable age matter

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Monitoring of compliance to international and
regional instruments

• Monitoring of international, regional and
  sub-regional instruments and substantive input
• Participation in World Conferences (CSW, 4th
  WCRW)
• Participation in international meetings
  Commonwealth and meetings of UN agencies
• Interaction with foreign delegations

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Research

• Widowhood research
• Assessment of capacity and implementation of
  gender mainstreaming policy in the public sector
  Annual Report Card and Gender Barometer
• Assessment of gender responsiveness in education
  policy
• Education
• Women in Local government
• HIV/AIDS

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Communication

• Communication support for line functions
• Media relations
• Interviews, press briefings, press conferences,
  press
• statements, responses to media enquiries
• Public / stakeholder relations
• Website development, maintenance monitoring
• Development of stakeholder database

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Expenditure in terms of budget allocation for
2006/7
16
Expenditure in terms of budget allocation for
2006/7
17
Expenditure in terms of budget allocation for
2006/7
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Influences of 2006/7 on strategic planning for
2007/8

• Revised structure Communication IT
• Building capacity in HR, Finance department
• Under-spending non-appointment of commissioners
  (affecting range of expenditures incl. salaries),
  staff resignations, national conferences not
  taking place (GBV widowhood)
• Collaboration with C9s is essential MOU to be
  developed amongst ourselves to maximize
  information management e.g. on complaints
• Reviewing relationship with ASASA to ensure CGEs
  independence is not compromised
• Revision and strengthening of outreach strategy
• Detailed formulation of goals and objectives
  around thematic areas in next stratplan
• Inclusion of HIV/AIDS as a thematic area
  (previously cross-cutting)
• Litigation strategy to be developed
• ME of government departments and framework of
  reporting to be implemented for NGM and GFPs
  through Gender Barometer (cost time saving)

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Key aspects of stratplan for 2007/8

• Integrated approach to service delivery research
  / legal / PEI
• Formulated 6 broad goals, to be taken up in the
  next stratplan and mid-term

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Goals of the strategic plan for 2007/8 and the
mid-term (cont.)

• 1. Cooperating with strategic partners and
  cognizant to HIV/AIDS and poverty, the CGE works
  towards the creation of a violence-free society
  through the reduction of gender-based violence
• 2. In partnership with civil society and through
  improved frameworks and systems for monitoring,
  evaluation and reporting, the CGE becomes the
  national authority on gender equity compliance,
  gender mainstreaming and promoting gender best
  practice

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Goals of the strategic plan for 2007/8 and the
mid-term (cont.)

• 3. The CGE takes advantage of opportunities to
  collaborate with the National Treasury and
  StatsSA on their longitudinal research processes,
  with the view to ensuring that such studies take
  into account the impact of poverty on poor women
  and gender equality.
• 4. The CGE evaluates the role South African
  cultures, religions and traditions pay in
  contributing towards gender inequality and work
  towards rectifying these inequalities

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Goals of the strategic plan for 2007/8 and the
mid-term (cont.)

• 5. The CGE strengthens the national gender
  machinery in order for it to become more
  effective in promoting gender equality and SA
  constitutional democracy
• 6. The CGE becomes a responsive, efficient and
  accountable learning organisation with the
  necessary policies, processes, systems, structure
  and resources to deliver quality
  products/services in the fulfillment of its
  mandate

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Key challenges facing the CGE and how are
these being addressed?

1. Dealing with entrenched gender inequality and
   patriarchy
2. Implementation of legislation and law enforcement
   by officials e.g. maintenance complaints
3. Many people do not know the content of the
   Constitution and have little knowledge of C9s
   (incl. media)
4. Amendment of previous statutes that violate the
   Constitution (i.r.o. Bantustans former
   homelands)
5. Capacity of National Gender Machinery, status of
   structures in provincial parliaments
6. Limited/lack of resources for gender
   transformation structures to participate
7. Reaching out to remote rural areas, lack of
   programmes for young women, HIV/AIDS
8. Easy flow of information from Dept. of Foreign
   Affairs to enable CGE to participate in
   sub-regional, regional and international
   activities
9. Lack of access to country reports in time for
   monitoring

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Challenges (cont.)

• Developing strategies to retain staff
• Review of CGEs PPRR
• Delays in appointment of commissioners
• Uneven distribution of skilled people across the
  country impact on appointment of CGE staff
• Remoteness of rural areas impact on access and
  outreach of CGE

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How can the Portfolio Committee be of assistance
to the CGE?

• Conditions of service for commissioners
• Challenging the Treasury Central Evaluation
  Committee criteria for grading the C9s
• Equality Review Committee equal status to be
  given to C9s
• Committee to ensure that recommendations in
  annual report are implemented and referrals to
  other parliamentary committees are made

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Specific issues that the CGE wants to raise with
the Committee

1. Access to country reports to enable CGE to
   comment SADC, AU, Nepad, APRM
2. Revision of CGE Act
3. Active participation of committee members in CGE
   stratplan development

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• Thank you