Sizophila Ntwenhle Mkhize

Sizophila Ntwenhle Mkhize

This page is created mainly on the basis of communication and also sharing the ideas.

31/12/2023

Happy New year South Africa, you have been good to me as a child and you have supported me despite of my mistakes let us all go to 2024 with the same spirit the ANC loves you all.

26/12/2023
16/12/2023

Lioneess Mkhize

23/11/2023

A daughter to the African National Congress

10/11/2023

Sizophila

08/10/2023

Zinyanya zakithi ngyabonga

24/09/2023

We pride ourselves for the nomination.

19/09/2023

Sizwe sikaPhunga noMageba

14/09/2023

Our activism is based on historical conditions that are the foundation of the current discourse.

08/09/2023

Nina bendlovu enamandla🙌🙌Zulu eliphezulu

29/08/2023

"Zulu eliphezulu" 🙌🙌

20/08/2023

We joined politics out of the circumstances that we were subjected to in our early ages, we did not read about poverty, we did not hear about cooking in the fire but we were the ones who would go to the forest to fetch wood and in the lakes to fetch water and it is through the African National Congress that our dignity was reclaimed.

Even though much has been done to change the lives of the people in South Africa but much still has to be done, each according to his/her abilities has a role to play in building the nation we all desire.

03/09/2022

nasezansi nina besilo siyanibingelela

07/11/2021

Young people of the ANC never make a mistake about the future

30/09/2021

Niyahamba bafwethu, Malakar 1 November ususeduze

Photos from Sizophila Mkhize for ANCYL President's post 30/09/2021
13/09/2021

An African Man

03/09/2021

Ngelinye ilanga umuntu omnyama uyovuka indlobane afune okungokwakhe.

01/09/2021

The revival of the ANCYL is the revival of the ANC.

22/08/2021

Nkosi sihlangene endlini yakho, besisacela ube kanye nathi

21/08/2021

Nyamezelani bafazi lelizwe seliyohlangulwa yini kulobu bumnyama.

18/08/2021

Address by Cde Sizophila Mkhize on the occasion of the Women, Democracy and Leadership Conference
Democracy Development Programme

Elangeni Hotel - Durban
18 August 2021

Programme Director,
Delegates and invited guests;
Viewers in different digital platforms
Members of the media

Good morning

Let me start by expressing my appreciation to the DDP. I thank you for inviting me to this important gathering to reflect on the importance of Women in Leadership as well as their role in strengthening our democracy .

As a matter of principle, I wish to salute teachers – especially women - for playing and important role towards the provision of quality education to children.

I am where I am because of teachers who laid a foundation for me and many other leaders of society. Therefore, my address would be incomplete if I don’t personally thank the educators.

Programme Director, I must admit that it is for the first time that I attend such a conference organized. I was intrigued by the invitation and in particular the fact that you have asked me not to confine my address to the theme “Reinvigorating the fight against systematic power imbalances: An increased access to positions of power for women.”

As the member of the ANC Youth League I always remind my peers and the public at large that the founding of the ANC was driven by intellectuals such Rev John Langalibalele Dube.
Dr Dube went on to establish Ohlange Institute a few kilometers from this venue. He modeled it on the Tuskegee Institute founded by Booker T Washington to “train the mind, the heart and the hand.”

The school emphasized intellectual development, skills development, the ethos of Ubuntu and the creation of a fully developed individual.

I have a distinct sense that this is what DDP aims to achieve with this Women, Democracy and Leadership Conference.

We acknowledge with so much appreciation the fact that the organization wants to see the overall development of women such that they take a front-seat in society and become nation builders.

Programme Director, let me turn my focus to the issue of wellbeing of society.

I have always held the view that the economic well-being of a society cannot be achieved if women are massively underprivileged, particularly in the employment sector, compared to their male counterparts.

Nor can an economy remain healthy without utilizing the contributions and skills of women in different economic activities whether it’s education, health, engineering, construction, information technology, maritime, mining or automotive industry.

It is for these reasons that I support all initiatives aimed at championing women empowerment programmes.

The ANC, as a governing party, has made significant progress in political representation of women in decision making, particularly at the provincial and local tier of government.

The provincial cabinet comprises of six women and fivemales. In the KZN legislature
more than 40% of members are female marking an increase in women participation in ensuring the role of oversight. Also, whilst the speaker is female, many parliamentary committees are chaired by women.

In the public service here in KZN – of the senior management personnel more than 37.8% (192) are women. An overwhelming majority of women at SMS level were black African 28.0%, followed by Indian/Asian (5.7%), white (3.0%) and coloured (1.2%).

Evidently, women participation in decision making at the highest level in the public service in KZN has been increasing in the past 27 years.

Programme Director, what we now need to do as women in leadership positions is to close ranks and support each other in order to transform our country and this province in particular.

My message today is that women must play an active role in the ward committees and other structures in various local municipalities.

Since we attained democracy in 1994, the majority of ANC led municipalities have registered progress in the area of road infrastructure especially in previously inaccessible areas.

We have seen many communities that were previously neglected having access to electricity and water and sanitation.

But I strongly believe that with many females becoming councillors in municipalities, they will inject speed into service delivery. We need to do more to build this country and I am confident of the power and ability of women to turn things around.


*Radical Local Economic Transformation – municipalities – women*

Programme Director, the ruling party adopted a resolution on the radical economic transformation. It is my belief that such transformation must result in the empowerment of women and all those who still live in abject poverty and underdevelopment because of the legacy of the apartheid government.

As young people we are calling upon the ANC-led government to use its resources to uplift women.

I am going to be biased towards KZN because this conference is taking place in the province.
For instance, the overall infrastructure spend in the province across the budget votes of the 14 provincial departments has now reached over R12 billion mark.

Apart from generating employment opportunities for women, we want women owned enterprises to be involved out of these massive capital investments. It can’t be business as usual - this is the only way of driving radical local economic transformation.

Poverty in South Africa, as well as KZN, has been generally described as feminized. Women are the most impoverished group in the province and the majority of them are located in the rural areas which collectively have a 78% poverty rate compared to urban poverty, estimated as 22%.

The systematic and socially-engineered location of women in rural areas, and the underdevelopment of infrastructure in these areas, has been directly responsible for the poor conditions under which the majority of them live. Income levels are low, and many depend on sources other than salaries for their livelihoods, especially grants (24.8%); unemployment is high and access to social infrastructure is poor.

Therefore, Programme Director, when we speak about Radical Economic Transformation – we believe that this is the only way of changing the status quo.
There are different sectors of the economy that I believe are critical in driving radical economic transformation for the benefit of women across the province.

We need to fast-track the entry of women into the following sectors: -

*The manufacturing sector* has been for some time, and still is the backbone of our economy. This is a key labour creating sector in the KZN economy. As young people we are calling upon the ANC government to ensure that women benefit from the Black Industrialist Programme.


*The automotive sector* is a particular sector that served this province extremely well and it one that this province has paid particular attention to as catalyst for economic development and job creation.

The development of an Automotive Supplier Park in the South of Durban, must be approached in a manner that meet the objectives of economic transformation. As young people we are calling upon all role-players to ensure that women are integrated into this supplier park not only as employees but as owners.

Despite its size, the mining sector in KwaZulu-Natal remains key to the provincial economy. Other than the direct employment, output and foreign exchange contribution of the sector, it is clear that a number of synergies exist between the mining industries and other secondary sector players in the province, hence potential for beneficiation along the mineral value chains. As young people we are calling upon the ANC-government to convene a Women in Mining Summit in order to fully explore radical transformation opportunities in this sector;


*The Maritime Sector.* Being a coastal province, KZN not yet maximised the marine economy. We need to recognize the potential of this sector towards economic growth and development, not only to KZN, but to the rest of Africa and the world.


*The clothing and textiles sector* is a labour absorbing sector. And I believe that women have an important role to play to grow this sector even further. In order to support more women in this sector, the ANC-led government must ensure that women are assisted to access the Clothing and Textile Competitiveness Programme.

This programme is under the Department of Trade and Industry. DTI has more than R4.9 billion in incentives which we want women owned enterprises to access.


Programme Director, my message therefore is that we need to work hard to ensure that as women we are assisted to get into these sectors of the economy.

Another key issues that we need to discuss – is the economic empowerment and skills development initiatives for women especially those in rural areas.

Rural women’s lack of access to resources and basic services is compounded by their unequal rights in family structures, as well as unequal access to family resources, such as land and livestock.

This explains further why African rural women are not only poorer in society as a whole but also in their own families. It also defines why their level and kind of poverty is experienced differently and more intensely than that of men.

Their lack of access to and control over land means less access to credit and technical assistance, essential for development. Little access to credit limits their ability to purchase seeds, fertilizers and other inputs needed to adopt new farming techniques and hence their economic participation.

Programme Director, during this Conference we need to discuss what programmes can be put in place to deal with the growing feminization of poverty.

It is extremely important that the issue of the feminization of poverty does not escape our attention because the Labour Force Survey has consistently recorded a higher unemployment rate among women since its inception in 2001, compared to men. Women in rural areas are the most affected by higher levels of unemployment.

The survey released by Stats SA showed that the number of unemployed women increased dramatically. With COVID-19 hitting the country, this number has increased even further.

Importantly, we must also discuss the support to women owned co-operatives. I am saying this because women-only co-operatives account for a significant proportion of the cooperative-landscape in South Africa.

A “Baseline Study of Cooperatives in South Africa”, undertaken by the Department of Trade and Industry in indicates that there are more female co-operative members than male members.

Co-operatives that consist of only women members account for 264 co-operatives, representing over 20% of the total co-operatives sample. Sectors which had women-only co-operatives were textiles (19%), services (16%) and food and agriculture (16%).
The findings of the survey reflect a sector where the majority of co-operatives are of a survivalist nature and most of them are not in a position to have their applications for loans and grants approved. The findings highlight a problem of co-operatives not being able to access the finance they need to grow their businesses.
Women require skills in business proposals, tender and contract processes, financial management, and marketing, amongst others. Government must explore viable mentorship programme to support emerging women owned co-operatives, particularly those that are still at a survivalist stage.
Programme Director, in conclusion, allow me to salute all women who are here and those who are not with us.

I am proud of the fact that women continue to contribute to nation building by being actively involved as professionals in government, municipalities, the private sector, as entrepreneurs and many other sectors which were previously dominated by men.

We do not overlook the women who continue to work as domestic workers, farm labourers, on the factory floor, as street traders and several other occupations which help them earn a living and raise their children.

These women are a beacon of hope for the future of this country because even though they are economically active respectively, they continue to play the role of home makers. They bring up children under trying circumstances and are building families which are the future of this province and this country.

I want to salute all women. I want to particularly single out women who:

â—Źout of non-existent - managed to raise and educate their children;

â—Źsurvivors of sexual offences;

â—Źrural women;

â—Źwomen who have established and run community organisations, helping the disabled, the homeless, the starving and so on.


I would also like to emphasise that heroism is in vain if the generation witnessing it or later generations do not emulate their heroines.

I, therefore, hereby challenge young women not only to emulate their heroines but to seek surpass the latter’s achievements.

Forward with the spirit of Charlotte Maxeke Forward !!!!

I thank youAddress by Cde Sizophila Mkhize on the occasion of the Women, Democracy and Leadership Conference
Democracy Development Programme

Elangeni Hotel - Durban
18 August 2021

Programme Director,
Delegates and invited guests;
Viewers in different digital platforms
Members of the media

Good morning

Let me start by expressing my appreciation to the DDP. I thank you for inviting me to this important gathering to reflect on the importance of Women in Leadership as well as their role in strengthening our democracy .

As a matter of principle, I wish to salute teachers – especially women - for playing and important role towards the provision of quality education to children.

I am where I am because of teachers who laid a foundation for me and many other leaders of society. Therefore, my address would be incomplete if I don’t personally thank the educators.

Programme Director, I must admit that it is for the first time that I attend such a conference organized. I was intrigued by the invitation and in particular the fact that you have asked me not to confine my address to the theme “Reinvigorating the fight against systematic power imbalances: An increased access to positions of power for women.”

As the member of the ANC Youth League I always remind my peers and the public at large that the founding of the ANC was driven by intellectuals such Rev John Langalibalele Dube.
Dr Dube went on to establish Ohlange Institute a few kilometers from this venue. He modeled it on the Tuskegee Institute founded by Booker T Washington to “train the mind, the heart and the hand.”

The school emphasized intellectual development, skills development, the ethos of Ubuntu and the creation of a fully developed individual.

I have a distinct sense that this is what DDP aims to achieve with this Women, Democracy and Leadership Conference.

We acknowledge with so much appreciation the fact that the organization wants to see the overall development of women such that they take a front-seat in society and become nation builders.

Programme Director, let me turn my focus to the issue of wellbeing of society.

I have always held the view that the economic well-being of a society cannot be achieved if women are massively underprivileged, particularly in the employment sector, compared to their male counterparts.

Nor can an economy remain healthy without utilizing the contributions and skills of women in different economic activities whether it’s education, health, engineering, construction, information technology, maritime, mining or automotive industry.

It is for these reasons that I support all initiatives aimed at championing women empowerment programmes.

The ANC, as a governing party, has made significant progress in political representation of women in decision making, particularly at the provincial and local tier of government.

The provincial cabinet comprises of six women and fivemales. In the KZN legislature
more than 40% of members are female marking an increase in women participation in ensuring the role of oversight. Also, whilst the speaker is female, many parliamentary committees are chaired by women.

In the public service here in KZN – of the senior management personnel more than 37.8% (192) are women. An overwhelming majority of women at SMS level were black African 28.0%, followed by Indian/Asian (5.7%), white (3.0%) and coloured (1.2%).

Evidently, women participation in decision making at the highest level in the public service in KZN has been increasing in the past 27 years.

Programme Director, what we now need to do as women in leadership positions is to close ranks and support each other in order to transform our country and this province in particular.

My message today is that women must play an active role in the ward committees and other structures in various local municipalities.

Since we attained democracy in 1994, the majority of ANC led municipalities have registered progress in the area of road infrastructure especially in previously inaccessible areas.

We have seen many communities that were previously neglected having access to electricity and water and sanitation.

But I strongly believe that with many females becoming councillors in municipalities, they will inject speed into service delivery. We need to do more to build this country and I am confident of the power and ability of women to turn things around.


*Radical Local Economic Transformation – municipalities – women*

Programme Director, the ruling party adopted a resolution on the radical economic transformation. It is my belief that such transformation must result in the empowerment of women and all those who still live in abject poverty and underdevelopment because of the legacy of the apartheid government.

As young people we are calling upon the ANC-led government to use its resources to uplift women.

I am going to be biased towards KZN because this conference is taking place in the province.
For instance, the overall infrastructure spend in the province across the budget votes of the 14 provincial departments has now reached over R12 billion mark.

Apart from generating employment opportunities for women, we want women owned enterprises to be involved out of these massive capital investments. It can’t be business as usual - this is the only way of driving radical local economic transformation.

Poverty in South Africa, as well as KZN, has been generally described as feminized. Women are the most impoverished group in the province and the majority of them are located in the rural areas which collectively have a 78% poverty rate compared to urban poverty, estimated as 22%.

The systematic and socially-engineered location of women in rural areas, and the underdevelopment of infrastructure in these areas, has been directly responsible for the poor conditions under which the majority of them live. Income levels are low, and many depend on sources other than salaries for their livelihoods, especially grants (24.8%); unemployment is high and access to social infrastructure is poor.

Therefore, Programme Director, when we speak about Radical Economic Transformation – we believe that this is the only way of changing the status quo.
There are different sectors of the economy that I believe are critical in driving radical economic transformation for the benefit of women across the province.

We need to fast-track the entry of women into the following sectors: -

*The manufacturing sector* has been for some time, and still is the backbone of our economy. This is a key labour creating sector in the KZN economy. As young people we are calling upon the ANC government to ensure that women benefit from the Black Industrialist Programme.


*The automotive sector* is a particular sector that served this province extremely well and it one that this province has paid particular attention to as catalyst for economic development and job creation.

The development of an Automotive Supplier Park in the South of Durban, must be approached in a manner that meet the objectives of economic transformation. As young people we are calling upon all role-players to ensure that women are integrated into this supplier park not only as employees but as owners.

Despite its size, the mining sector in KwaZulu-Natal remains key to the provincial economy. Other than the direct employment, output and foreign exchange contribution of the sector, it is clear that a number of synergies exist between the mining industries and other secondary sector players in the province, hence potential for beneficiation along the mineral value chains. As young people we are calling upon the ANC-government to convene a Women in Mining Summit in order to fully explore radical transformation opportunities in this sector;


*The Maritime Sector.* Being a coastal province, KZN not yet maximised the marine economy. We need to recognize the potential of this sector towards economic growth and development, not only to KZN, but to the rest of Africa and the world.


*The clothing and textiles sector* is a labour absorbing sector. And I believe that women have an important role to play to grow this sector even further. In order to support more women in this sector, the ANC-led government must ensure that women are assisted to access the Clothing and Textile Competitiveness Programme.

This programme is under the Department of Trade and Industry. DTI has more than R4.9 billion in incentives which we want women owned enterprises to access.


Programme Director, my message therefore is that we need to work hard to ensure that as women we are assisted to get into these sectors of the economy.

Another key issues that we need to discuss – is the economic empowerment and skills development initiatives for women especially those in rural areas.

Rural women’s lack of access to resources and basic services is compounded by their unequal rights in family structures, as well as unequal access to family resources, such as land and livestock.

This explains further why African rural women are not only poorer in society as a whole but also in their own families. It also defines why their level and kind of poverty is experienced differently and more intensely than that of men.

Their lack of access to and control over land means less access to credit and technical assistance, essential for development. Little access to credit limits their ability to purchase seeds, fertilizers and other inputs needed to adopt new farming techniques and hence their economic participation.

Programme Director, during this Conference we need to discuss what programmes can be put in place to deal with the growing feminization of poverty.

It is extremely important that the issue of the feminization of poverty does not escape our attention because the Labour Force Survey has consistently recorded a higher unemployment rate among women since its inception in 2001, compared to men. Women in rural areas are the most affected by higher levels of unemployment.

The survey released by Stats SA showed that the number of unemployed women increased dramatically. With COVID-19 hitting the country, this number has increased even further.

Importantly, we must also discuss the support to women owned co-operatives. I am saying this because women-only co-operatives account for a significant proportion of the cooperative-landscape in South Africa.

A “Baseline Study of Cooperatives in South Africa”, undertaken by the Department of Trade and Industry in indicates that there are more female co-operative members than male members.

Co-operatives that consist of only women members account for 264 co-operatives, representing over 20% of the total co-operatives sample. Sectors which had women-only co-operatives were textiles (19%), services (16%) and food and agriculture (16%).
The findings of the survey reflect a sector where the majority of co-operatives are of a survivalist nature and most of them are not in a position to have their applications for loans and grants approved. The findings highlight a problem of co-operatives not being able to access the finance they need to grow their businesses.
Women require skills in business proposals, tender and contract processes, financial management, and marketing, amongst others. Government must explore viable mentorship programme to support emerging women owned co-operatives, particularly those that are still at a survivalist stage.
Programme Director, in conclusion, allow me to salute all women who are here and those who are not with us.

I am proud of the fact that women continue to contribute to nation building by being actively involved as professionals in government, municipalities, the private sector, as entrepreneurs and many other sectors which were previously dominated by men.

We do not overlook the women who continue to work as domestic workers, farm labourers, on the factory floor, as street traders and several other occupations which help them earn a living and raise their children.

These women are a beacon of hope for the future of this country because even though they are economically active respectively, they continue to play the role of home makers. They bring up children under trying circumstances and are building families which are the future of this province and this country.

I want to salute all women. I want to particularly single out women who:

â—Źout of non-existent - managed to raise and educate their children;

â—Źsurvivors of sexual offences;

â—Źrural women;

â—Źwomen who have established and run community organisations, helping the disabled, the homeless, the starving and so on.


I would also like to emphasise that heroism is in vain if the generation witnessing it or later generations do not emulate their heroines.

I, therefore, hereby challenge young women not only to emulate their heroines but to seek surpass the latter’s achievements.

Forward with the spirit of Charlotte Maxeke Forward !!!!

I thank you

18/08/2021

Women's month

Photos from Sizophila Mkhize for ANCYL President's post 16/08/2021

The Future is female

On a women's month it is very vital that we encourage all women in the political space to unite and challenge the space, we must seek to unite behind an idea and a goal to make South Africa a better place, we must seek to develop and grow our capacity and capabilities, we must never be elected because we are women but we must be elected based on our competencies, women are also equal members to the congress movement and it is not wrong for them to lead the collective.

must prevail

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