
South Africa has one of the highest rates in the world of unemployment for comparable middle-income countries. The latest official statistics show that by December 2009, around 4,2 million people, out of a total labour force of 17 million, were officially unemployed. Yet, this figure does not include almost two million individuals who have simply lost hope of ever finding a job. For women, the situation is nothing but drastic.
The announcement that South Africa would host the 2010 World Cup prompted a whirlwind of heavy investment in infrastructure, with high expectations for an economic boom. Obviously the 2010 World Cup will also boost tourism, but how far will these benefit society as a whole, not just a privileged few?
For four weeks in 2010, South Africa will be the centre of the world. The FIFA World Cup, the world’s biggest sporting event after the Olympic Games in terms of television audience, is in a class of its own.
Some years ago, a women’s NGO in South Africa published a poster with the slogan “Abusive speech is a deadly weapon,ΓΒ designed to create awareness about the impact of verbal abuse in intimate partner relationships. Little did they know that verbal abuse would become a source of national debate in the country, spurred on by careless comments uttered by ANC Youth League president Julius Malema.
The success of global economic recovery plans will depend on how far governments are willing to relook at models traditionally advocated for by economists to start embracing the informal sector model where women are the majority.
Women from Africa and Asia are pointing accusing fingers at their governments and donors for neither analysing climate change from a gender perspective nor putting in place mechanisms to cushion them from its ravages. Discussing the matter at the CSW54 Beijing+ 15 Review held 1-12 March, they say most governments have an idea of the broader impact of climate change on the well-being of their countries, but are yet to focus on its gender dimension.
Women are yet to make significant inroads into the media 15 years after the Beijing Platform of Action recognised its centrality in advancing women’s rights. Preliminary findings of the 2010 Global Media Monitoring Project conducted by the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) suggests that women constitute less than a quarter of those interviewed, heard, seen or read about in mainstream broadcast and print news.
African countries, known for their penchant to ratify international conventions and other instruments, are not doing well when it comes to providing periodical reports on progress made in implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
In the eyes of many, 2010 is a year for Africa. The 2010 World Cup will be the first in history hosted on the continent. From the time of the historic announcement of South Africa’s successful bid, many neighbouring countries have been working towards improving their infrastructure and making sure their citizens are ready to take advantage of the Cup’s economic opportunities.
As the World Cup dates draws near, the energy in South Africa and the neighbouring countries is palpable. Millions of people will soon streaming to South Africa to watch one of the most coveted tournament in the football fraternity.