DID hosts Regional Women's Engagement Session in Sedibeng Regional Office
By Prudence Motsila
11 August 2023
It was all matters transformation and women emancipation on the table when officials from the Department of Infrastructure Development gathered at the regional offices in Vereeniging, Sedibeng, on August 11, 2023, to express their views and find solutions to different forms of historical marginalisation in the public service and society in general. The progress made since the dawn of democracy was acknowledged, although more work remains ahead before women can be free in all respects, it was said.
The annual Women's Engagement Session was led by the Directorate Transformation and Mainstreaming, involving women, non-binary persons, and women with disabilities to tackle issues affecting them and share their experiences. 
Every year, in August, the country marks Women's Month by paying tribute to the more than 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 in protest against the extension of Pass Laws to women. The year 2023 marks the 67th Anniversary since that historic moment that changed the course of the struggle for freedom in South Africa, especially for women who were also oppressed due to their gender. 
"Women's Month allows us to gauge how far we have come in transforming society, particularly the transformation of unequal power relations between women and men. While also focusing on and addressing gender oppression, patriarchy, sexism, racism, ageism, structural oppression, and creating a conducive environment which enables women to take control of their lives."
Sedibeng Region is the first region to have a woman Regional Head and also a first region to be visited in celebration of Women's Month. All women employees from regional office, including other Health Facilities, honoured the invitation. Issues of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Femicide, Gender Equality, bullying in the workplace, were discussed. 
Ms. Mary Mocheni, the Regional Head, encouraged women to believe in themselves. "I am very happy to celebrate women's month. I am happy that we will be discussing issues around Gender Based Violence (GBV) and gender inequality. As women, let's work together, support and celebrate each other," said Ms. Mocheni.