Celebrate our women folk, and not just on August 9, or in August, but every single day!

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Letters to the Editor.
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Fête women every day, not just in August
It is August once again – a time when we celebrate Women's Day and honour the incredible contributions of women in our country.
As is tradition, politicians travel across South Africa, delivering speeches and offering words of hope to women and children.
But sadly, once the flowers are handed out and the cameras are off, very little is done until the next Women's Day rolls around.
This cycle of symbolic recognition without real action is deeply troubling – especially in the face of rising abuse, violence, and femicide in South Africa. The increasing frequency of these acts is both shameful and sickening. That any man could behave in such a violent and destructive way is utterly shocking and unacceptable.
As we commemorate this important month, we must also remember and pay tribute to the brave women who shaped South Africa's history. Their legacy calls not for empty gestures, but for a continuous commitment to justice, equality, and support for women.
It is vital that women are empowered through education. Education opens doors, builds confidence, and creates opportunities for financial independence and personal strength. With knowledge and support, women are better equipped to face life's challenges head-on.To every woman: do not live in fear. You are abundantly resilient, undeniably powerful, and already transforming this country. Many of you have excelled despite the odds and have become role models for generations to come.
To all the incredible women of South Africa – thank you. You make our country proud. Let us not limit our appreciation to a single day or month. Let us celebrate women's strength, leadership, and courage every day of the year.
On behalf of all Daily News readers, I wish every woman a blessed and empowering month of August. | Dhayalan Moodley Mobeni Heights
Celebrate the women of Palestine as well
The significance of Women's Day in South Africa cannot be overstated.
While we celebrate and honour the historic struggles of women who fought against apartheid and gender inequality, we must also challenge the unending suffering of many women today, especially, those enduring domestic violence, injustice, and the shattering impacts of armed conflicts.
Women's Day must go beyond celebration and speeches.
It should serve as a powerful reminder of the need to actively advance women's rights and dignity, both locally and globally. True solidarity means standing with all women, particularly those encountering oppression, and different shades of violence.
This year, as we commemorate Women's Day on Saturday, August 9, I call on my fellow South Africans to also remember the women of Palestine. These Palestinian women are grieving the loss of loved ones, enduring horrific cruelty, forced displacement, and the denial of their most basic human rights. Their suffering continues in full view of the global community, yet goes unopposed.
Palestinian women, like all women, deserve legitimacy, and the right to live with dignity and peace.
On Women's Day, and every day, let us be a voice for the Palestinians, acknowledge their struggles, honour their resilience, and call urgently for a permanent ceasefire.
Let Women's Day in South Africa stand not only for remembrance and celebration, but for social justice, human rights, and a significant and a well-lived life. | MOHAMED SAEED Pietermaritzburg
It's a certain recipe for an heart attack
Indians like their food well spiced and salted. But salt is a silent killer.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) about 1.89 million deaths each year are as a result of eating too much salt. It's an alarming figure.
Another frightening statistic is that, despite warnings of the health risks of excess salt in our diets, Indians still consume 2.2 times more sodium than that recommended by the WHO. Why are we risking our lives? Indians have changed a lot since we landed on these shores over a 150 years ago and adapted well to the demands of the modern world.
That is why we are such a successful race. But there's one aspect we haven't changed much. It's our food.
We love our curry and rice. Fast fóod is becoming a craze now but we still love our traditional curry. When we are on holiday we miss the home-cooked meals and cannot wait to come back home and tuck into the chicken curry and rice.
Taste matters a lot to us. The curry must have gravy, well-­seasoned with masala and salt. We are not like the British who salt their food while eating. Their food is insipid; ours is flavoursome. But our curries are often not healthy. Salt, oil, red meat and fat – it's a deadly combination.
But its not only Indian foods that are salty. Many of the snacks and convenience foods have extra sodium. Ask any Indian about their health and they will tell you that they are on medication for hypertension, diabetics, cholesterol and blocked arteries.
No wonder heart surgeons are so busy with their scalpels these days! | T Markandan Kloof
Artsolar case: It's a win for press freedom
The lifting of the gag order on Independent Media in the Artsolar litigation is a clear victory for press freedom. The importance of free speech and expression as pillars of a democratic society cannot be overstated.
Journalists in South Africa face constant intimidation, sometimes even brutal and deadly assaults, in their efforts to inform the public about controversial but essential issues. These attacks constrain their ability to report truthfully on matters of great public importance.As Sir Winston Churchill said in 1949: 'A free press is the unsleeping guardian of every other right that free men prize. It is the most dangerous foe of tyranny. Under dictatorship the press is bound to languish. A vigilant press will continue to be the fourth estate – the vigilant guardian of the rights of the ordinary citizen."
When the public's right to know is threatened, and when free speech is in jeopardy, all other liberties we hold dear are endangered. We must never yield to attempts to destroy freedom of conscience, ­opinion, or the press – whether through mob violence or censorship by the elite.
Section 16(1)(a) of the Constitution guarantees, 'the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom of the press and other media.' This right upholds the ability of all people to express their views freely. It is a cornerstone of democracy and must be protected to the fullest extent possible.
Freedom of expression ensures that people can access factual information, which is essential for informed self-governance. Without it, democracy is a hollow ideal.There is only one basic human right: The right to act freely. And with that comes one fundamental duty: To accept the consequences of those actions. Freedom of expression defines how liberty is exercised and protected. No one should interfere with another's right to think, speak, or act freely within the bounds of the law.
Freedom to express our views is sacrosanct. In recognition of this, the UN declared May 3 as World Press Freedom Day. Yet, when the press is imperilled, muzzled, or banned ­altogether, every other freedom is eroded, and democracy itself is under threat.
As Thomas Jefferson famously said: 'Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost. Freedom of the press should be sacrosanct – unless one lives in a totalitarian state.
The muzzling of journalists is nothing less than a full-scale assault on the principles of democracy. | Farouk Araie Benoni