CAPE TOWN, Aug. 15 — South Africa’s 2026 Women’s Parliament ended on Friday with a call for renewed action and accountability to advance gender equality and improve the lives of women and girls.
The two-day event, held in Kimberley, Northern Cape Province, called for “women to renew unity among themselves and for government and society to turn commitments on gender equality into practical action that improves the lives of women and girls,” the South African Parliament said in a statement on Saturday.
The gathering brought together women from different sectors and communities to assess progress on women’s rights and consider practical responses to persistent challenges, under a theme centered on gender justice, equality and resilient economies.
It also marked the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Women’s March, when more than 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria against apartheid pass laws. Addressing the gathering on Thursday, National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza said South Africa had made significant progress since the end of apartheid, with women taking increasingly prominent roles in politics, the judiciary, business, academia and other institutions.
“No country can achieve its full economic and societal potential if one gender is left behind,” Didiza said. Women now account for 43 percent of lawmakers in Parliament and 45 percent of Cabinet members, while women also head several constitutional institutions, according to the parliamentary statement.
However, “these gains should not be taken for granted,” Didiza cautioned in the statement, saying representation alone did not mean that the struggle for gender equality was over. Parliament said a key outcome of the event was the adoption of a declaration calling for gender-responsive planning and budgeting, stronger monitoring and measurable targets, with consequences when commitments were not implemented.
The declaration will be circulated among participants and taken forward through legislatures and sectoral platforms, with implementation to be monitored to ensure that commitments made at the Women’s Parliament lead to concrete results.
The parliamentary statement added that the gathering had reinforced the message that “South Africa cannot achieve meaningful gender equality without women standing together, holding those in positions of responsibility accountable and turning hard-won rights into real opportunities, safety, dignity and justice for every woman and girl.” (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
