Latest news with #Personswith
22-05-2025
- Business
South Africa's G20 legacy will be measured by 'lives changed'
Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, says the legacy of South Africa's G20 Presidency will not be defined by the number of meetings held, or the elegance of its communiqués, but by 'lives changed, systems reformed, and the power redistributed.' Chikunga made the remarks at the opening plenary of the Women20 (W20) South Africa Inception Meeting, currently underway in Cape Town. The W20 is the official G20 engagement group focused on promoting gender equality and women's economic empowerment. The 2025 Inception Meeting, hosted under the theme: 'Women in Solidarity', marks 10 years of W20. The meeting brings together over 100 global delegates representing government, business, academia, and civil society. The two-day Inception Meeting, which started on Wednesday, convenes thought leaders, including policymakers and change-makers from across the globe to explore high-level interventions and innovative solutions to the challenges facing women today. In her address, Chikunga said the gathering is not an endpoint, but a beginning of a call to mobilise transformative change for women around the world. She said the region stands at a pivotal moment, where the African continent has the opportunity to shape the course of global recovery, and where the Global South can reimagine the social contract. 'We stand at a pivotal moment, where we can prove that leadership from our regions is not only possible – it is indispensable. Let us leave this space with a shared resolve: to structure women's voices into the heart of public policy, budgets, institutions, and outcomes,' the Minister said. Chikunga invoked the legacy of South African heroines, like Charlotte Maxeke, Ruth Mompati, and Albertina Sisulu, saying their fight for freedom serves as a reminder that 'freedom without equality is fiction.' As part of Chairship of the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group, Chikunga said South Africa has conceptualised several empowerment programmes intended to advance, through sustained partnerships, and beyond G20 term. These include the transformative emerging industrialists accelerator, and the disability Inclusion Initiative (DII). The transformative emerging industrialists accelerator is designed to support emerging women entrepreneurs in priority sectors such as energy, maritime, defence and aerospace, platform economies, and agriculture. Participants will receive end-to-end support, from ideation and product development to financing, market access, and commercialisation, in collaboration with SOEs [State Owned Entities], private companies, and industry associations. The DII is South Africa's flagship programme to embed disability rights and inclusion across policy, institutions, and society. Anchored by the establishment of a Disability Inclusion Nerve Centre, the DII initiative will drive: • Research on inclusion across the care economy, AI, financial access, and climate adaptation;• The establishment of a National Disability Data Observatory to strengthen decision-making;• Development of early childhood disability screening protocols;• Capacity-building through disability focal points; and • Support for inclusive schooling and access-enhancing technologies.
The Citizen
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Parliament declines to summon MacG over ‘disgusting' utterances as Minnie Dlamini consults her lawyer
The Podcast & Chill host's remarks are 'unchecked freedom of speech'. Parliament has declined to summon podcast host MacGyver 'MacG' Mukwevho to explain his controversial comments about media personality Minnie Dlamini. Mukwevho has faced backlash for remarks made on his widely followed platform, Podcast & Chill, regarding Dlamini's relationship break-up. He made an inappropriate insinuation about her genital odour. Government slams MacG over Minnie Dlamini remarks The incident prompted Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka 'Steve' Letsike, to call on Parliament to summon Mukwevho. Letsike strongly condemned the remarks, describing them as misogynistic and vulgar. She further argued that the podcast host's repeated use of 'derogatory language' towards women was not only offensive, but constituted online gender-based violence (GBV). The deputy minister urged MultiChoice, which airs Podcast & Chill through a partnership, to take action against Mukwevho. ALSO READ: Parliament to summon MacG after comments about Minnie Dlamini She also indicated plans to refer the matter to the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), the South African Human Rights Commission, and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) for investigation. In addition, Letsike's department is considering filing a case of crimen injuria against Mukwevho with the South African Police Service (Saps). The controversy has reignited public debate on whether podcasts should be subject to regulation. Minister wants MacG summoned by Parliament In her presentation to Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Letsike defended her call to action, stating that Mukwevho's remarks reflected 'unchecked freedom of speech'. The deputy minister contended that his 'vile' and 'disgusting' utterances violated Dlamini's constitutional rights and undermined her dignity. She said the podcast host should be compelled to withdraw his statements. 'I will also refer this matter to the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies and its department thereof to ramp up efforts towards regulation of online media platforms such as podcasts to ensure that the messaging on these platforms adhere to the constitution and other pieces of legislation that govern what is acceptable speech is our society as empowered by the right to freedom of expression,' Letsike said. READ MORE: Minnie Dlamini breaks silence following controversial MacG comments Letsike emphasised that Mukwevho's comments were 'soft violence' and contributed to the objectification of women's bodies, promoting sexism. 'We raise these issues sharply because Mr Mukwevho weighs considerable influence in South Africa's social discourse with a following of at least 1.5 million viewers subscribed to his YouTube channel.' She also stressed that the issue was not about cancel culture and revealed that Dlamini was consulting her legal counsel. 'She will inform us on her action if they do open a case.' Watch the meeting below: MPs deliberate Later, Members of Parliament (MPs) expressed their views on the request to summon Mukwevho. ANC MP Meagan Chauke-Adonis warned against politicising the issue, but stressed the importance of addressing it. 'Must there be physical bodily harm before this portfolio committee then responds and acts? 'This is something where once again we perpetuate a culture of cyberbullying, which we have been very silent on,' Chauke-Adonis said. ANC MP Maakgalake Pholwane supported the committee's involvement, while DA MP Angel Khanyile warned that summoning the podcast host would be an overreach. 'When I look at this case I do believe that Saps has a role to play. 'I do believe that there's a good chance of opening a case of crimen injuria and a civil claim as well, which I also believe may bring that apology,' Khanyile said. READ MORE: MacG's commenting goes beyond the bounds of free speech ActionSA MP Kgosi Letlape supported seeking a legal opinion on whether the committee could lay a criminal charge, a motion backed by Patriotic Alliance (PA) MP Jasmine Petersen. 'I feel this is a crime against all women and it should be tried in a court of law,' Letlape said. EFF MP Sihle Lonzi was critical of the deputy minister, accusing her of 'grandstanding', 'populism' and 'selective activism'. While acknowledging that Mukwevho's comments were 'distasteful', he questioned the mechanisms being used. Lonzi highlighted that institutions like the CGE, which falls under Letsike's department, are mandated to handle such matters. 'Have they failed to deliver on their mandates?' the EFF MP asked. Committee won't call MacG over Minnie Dlamini remarks Ultimately, the committee resolved not to summon Mukwevho. 'I think the majority of members are not in favour of us proceeding as the honorable minister, deputy minister had requested us to do,' the committee's chairperson Liezl van der Merwe said. She pointed out that Dlamini had not approached Parliament nor laid a criminal case. 'I think all of you have touched on this point that if we do decide it is our mandate to proceed with hearing one case of cyber-bullying, it would mean that this portfolio committee would have to extend that to every other person because they cannot be selective in choosing one case.' READ MORE: MacG says his partnership with MultiChoice is 'a natural evolution' despite it being criticised as a lazy move by the broadcaster Van der Merwe said the committee had limited capacity to handle such matters. 'There are other instruments that we can utilise,' she said, adding that a legal opinion would be sought. 'We will support your complaints, honourable deputy minister, to the BCCSA. We will also encourage you to finalise your discussions with Ms Dlamini and to encourage her to open a case with Saps and to follow due processes. 'We also will support the approach and the intervention to lay this matter or to send this matter as a complaint to the Commission for Gender Equality and we think that is the right approach,' Van der Merwe concluded.
