Share

Tutu: Undermining women hurts SA

Nobel Prize Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the partnership launch between the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation and Gender Reconciliation International that will focus on the implementation of gender reconciliation. (Rodger Bosch, AF
Nobel Prize Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the partnership launch between the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation and Gender Reconciliation International that will focus on the implementation of gender reconciliation. (Rodger Bosch, AF

Cape Town - Undermining women is detrimental to reconciliation in South Africa, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said on Tuesday.

"We are mentioning the obvious. We are speaking about how women are treated generally in society," he told reporters at Stellenbosch University's Tygerberg campus in Cape Town.

"We actually have undermined humanity by the treatment we have meted out to women just as much as racists undermine their humanity, as treating others as less than human."

He said women had to be acknowledged for who they were.

The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation has partnered with the university's Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert Student Leadership Development Institute and Gender Reconciliation International to offer workshops aimed at building empathy between men and women.

The institute would run a full-time programme next year to train students as gender reconciliation workshop facilitators.

Student leaders would then champion gender equality in their communities through various projects.

It was anticipated that similar programmes would be rolled out to other universities across the country.

Tutu said gender equality was mentioned in the Bible.

"We don't understand what God said. God said it's not good for this man to be alone... Man would not become fully human until he had her [a woman]."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.91
+0.1%
Rand - Pound
23.87
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.1%
Platinum
908.05
+1.2%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders