Rural women deserve more than platitudes, they deserve power
Media Statement by Thandi Nontenja, MP and UDEMWO Secretary General
The story of rural South Africa is written in the hands of women who work the soil, raise families and rebuild communities in the face of hardship. Tomorrow is International Day of Rural Women, and the United Democratic Movement Women’s Organisation (UDEMWO) calls for their recognition not as beneficiaries of policy, but as partners in shaping the nation’s future.
Across South Africa’s villages and farmlands, rural women anchor our food systems and local economies, yet their contribution remains undervalued and under-supported. Many continue to face barriers to owning or inheriting land, limited access to clean water and energy, and exclusion from local decision-making. Complicated land application procedures and unclear local regulations, combined with traditional gatekeeping and weak oversight, continue to deny rural women the security, dignity and opportunity they deserve.
The result is predictable: hunger, unemployment and disempowerment. When rural women lack secure land, clean water, reliable energy and protection from climate shocks, entire communities fall behind. Yet despite these challenges, rural women continue to feed households, nurture future generations and hold the fabric of our society together.
UDEMWO believes that true gender equality cannot be achieved until rural women enjoy the same rights, resources and respect as their urban counterparts. Empowering them is not charity; it is an investment in South Africa’s social and economic recovery.
UDEMWO calls on the Government of National Unity to:
1. Work with traditional leaders to develop a Gender-Responsive Communal Land Framework that honours cultural heritage while ensuring that women can also enjoy secure rights to land.
2. Prioritise rural water, sanitation and clean-energy infrastructure as part of the national anti-poverty and food-security strategy.
3. Invest in climate-resilient agriculture and skills development led by rural women farmers, cooperatives and youth.
4. Ensure that every government budget includes specific allocations for rural women’s development, so that promises of equality are backed by real resources and measurable results.
5. Include rural women’s voices in climate, land and local-government forums where decisions affecting their lives are made.
6. Task the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities with leading a coordinated national programme to monitor rural women’s development, ensuring that every department and province delivers tangible outcomes in land access, services and economic empowerment.
As we celebrate the courage of rural women, UDEMWO reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that no woman is left behind in land ownership, in leadership or in the fight against hunger and climate injustice. Rural women feed the nation. It is time South Africa fed their hopes with justice, dignity and opportunity.
