Under the theme of “Making it Happen”, SASCOC First Vice-President Hajera Kajee introduced a welcome new chapter in the prospects of South African women in sport, when she introduced the sporting body’s Women and Sport Commission at SASCOC House in Houghton, Johannesburg, on Saturday, 18 April, 2015.
Kajee chairs the commission which also includes Mrs Merrill King, Mr Chris Nenzani, Mrs Marietta Fryer, Mr Bongani Zondi together with an SRSA representative, and aims to be “a leading organisation that acts for the implementation of the principal of equity between men and women”.
The mission of the commission is to motivate and support the efforts of women to empower and strengthen their full potential through partnership with key and relevant stakeholders initiating projects for change and growth.
Leading insight into what our top athletes experience, former Banyana Banyana captain Keneilwe Mathibela gave a rousing introspection of the value of sport for women, the hardships notwithstanding, and former Olympic triathlete Kate Roberts described her road to thriving as an international athlete, despite limited financial support.
Key high level support in attendance included Gert Oosthuizen, Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation, President of SASCOC, Gideon Sam, and SASCOC CEO, Tubby Reddy.
Leading figures addressing the working group included Somadoda Fikeni, Chairperson of Minister Fikile Mbalula’s sports transformation-focussed Eminent Persons Group, Mr Herve Ludovic De Lys, Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay, a South African jurist who has also served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.
Delegates were given an opportunity to provide input throughout the day as well as formal input to the Woman and Sport strategy via breakaway sessions, in addition to formal feedback previously submitted by the Free State Sports Confederation and the Sports Trust, and sporting codes Bowls SA, Swimming SA, Squash SA, Roller Sports SA, the SA Handball Association, Tennis SA and Ms Cheryl Roberts for the Sports Women Publication.
Giving substance to the Commission’s mission, strategic focusses were identified in Key Performance Area including Access, Skill and Capability Development, Demographic Profile, Performance, Good Governance, and Contribution to Government Priorities, and the working group considered a Programme of Action for 2015 including the hosting of a Women’s Day celebration, hosting a provincial camp for Women and Girls for training on leadership and life skills, and attending Women in Sport conferences.
2016 goals included the culmination of Provincial Youth Camps in a National Youth camp -with the best to attend the week of team assemble for the 2016 Rio SA team, attending sport conferences, hosting a Women’s Day event, encouraging stakeholders to nominate deserving women for both local and global awards, and finally, to monitor and evaluate the progress of percentage and involvement of women in sport.
Photo 1 caption: The historic first-ever public meeting of the SASCOC Women and Sport Commission, to be chaired by SASCOC First Vice President Hajera Kajee, was held at SASCOC House in Houghton on Saturday 18 April, 2015, where eminent figures included Gert Oosthuizen, Gideon Sam, Tubby Reddy, Somadoda Fikeni, Herve Ludovic De Lys and Navi Pillay. Photo: gsport
Photo 2 caption: One of the Working Group session’s Featured Speakers was former Banyana Banyana captain Keneilwe Mathibela at the podium for a rousing introspection of the value of sport for women. Photo: gsport
Photo 3 caption: Former Olympic triathlete Kate Roberts described her road to thriving as an international athlete, despite limited financial support. Photo: gsport
(With editing by gsport)
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