30 Oct 2017

 Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural development, Botlogile Tshireletso says women are well known for the living nature and desire to be loved, especially by people who are close to them, such as husbands and boyfriends.

Giving a keynote address at the official launch of a book entitled Celebrate the woman in you written by Letty Sebutlana, a motivational speaker and life coach, Tshireletso explained that it was the same passion that women appreciated, whether it is caring for a loved one or a career.

The book draws from stories of women in the Bible who also experienced social pressures, but of faith and diplomacy emerged victorious.

The book also compares the present day women situation with women social pressures in the biblical times which is meant to encourage today’s women to work hard and not give up because of the put-them down kind of comments- humiliating comments downgrading the quality of their lives at their homes and work places.

The aim of the book is to challenge and encourage women to rise-up and  take their positions.

The author said  Jesus specifically praised Mary for choosing to sit at His feet and learn from Him.

That, he said showed that Jesus chose women to be the first witness to his resurrection even though their testimony would have been thrown out of a legal court, and Mary Magdalene became the apostle to the male apostles.

Both male and females received healing and miracles in the same manner.

Tshireletso, who is also Member of Parliament for Mahalapye East said traditionally women were overwhelmed with multiple domestic roles such as cooking, gathering firewood, taking care of children and the elderly.

“Everything in a home is centered on a woman, whether married or single, hence the saying that ‘a woman is the pillar of the nation.’

She further stated that these responsibilities took all their time,leaving them with no time to engage in other economic activities like men.

“It is sad because we still see it happening in the modern world, some women being fulltime housewives, while they have the capacity to partake in all sectors of development,” the assistant minister explained.

She further explained that government was committed to fighting these unbalances created by tradition, previous policies and programmes which impacted negatively on women, and hindered their effective participation in the economy by providing equal education for boys and girls.

Tshireletso further said there has been a significant improvement in the enrollment of girls in both secondary and tertiary institutions, adding that however, the girl child continues to face challenges in the quest for education as some still drop out of school due to pregnancy and other reasons such as social disruptions and poverty, which make them prone to various types of abuses.

However, she explained that government has also come up with some interventions in order to protect the girl child from abuse.

These include formulating and implementing laws such as the Children’s Act of 2009 and the Penal Code.

The government also raises awareness among policy makers and implementers and encourage children to come out and voice their issues through ‘Telling the story’ programme. The other programme is encouragement of community networking outreach programmes, she said.

She explained that issues of social disruptions affect both boys and girls, but in most cases it is the girl child who suffers as they have to take care of siblings at a very young age.

She said the book is therefore, timely as it encourages mentors and celebrates female children who are facing a lot of challenges to become future women and leaders.

Tshireletso further stated that in today’s world, women are literate, educated and have the ability to lead, saying this is why they have Batswana women who are high achievers and entrepreneurs.

Indeed, she said they are notable agents of change in the development of the country.

Tshireletso urged them to also play an active role in politics to influence decision making, noting that this is also emphasised by the National Anthem, which calls unto women to rise up and become women of substance in the society.

She explained that it is a call for women to be vigilant, alert and work hard.

She said though she acknowledges that there are still some challenges, she is proud that women have realised that just like men, they are very important and they are no longer regarded as ‘second class’ citizens.

“We cannot ignore the great impact literacy and education has played towards the endavour as more women have now trained as professionals and are able to compete for high level positions with men. For women to be successful economically, social and politically, there is need for concerted efforts geared towards addressing their issues adding that if a mother is not happy, the children will not be happy."

The vent was also attended by the Assistant Minister of Basic Education, Moesiraele Goya who also gave some encouraging remarks regarding the book, adding that it was important for women to reflect, interrogate and live according to the purpose for which they were created for. ENDS