South Africa’s Parliament has issued a strong call for accelerated progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment across the African continent. The message came during a G20 special engagement held in Johannesburg between South Africa’s Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) women and young parliamentarians.
Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, urged African lawmakers to lead an “epistemic shift” by challenging colonial ideologies that still influence public policy. She called for a transformation of legislative frameworks to prioritise equity, dignity, and reparations.
“Parliamentary diplomacy must be used not to mimic old power, but to dismantle the logics of exclusion, logics that sort bodies by race, gender and class, and determine who matters and who doesn’t,” Mtshweni-Tsipane told delegates.
Africa’s Moment on the Global Stage
With South Africa preparing to host the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) in October 2025, Mtshweni-Tsipane called on women and young African parliamentarians to seize the moment. She encouraged them to champion gender justice, feminist solidarity, and people-centred reforms with a bold and united African voice.
“The rights of women and girls cannot live on paper alone, they must be seen in courtrooms, in clinics, in classrooms and in every village across Africa. We must move from ratification to realisation and from symbolic gestures to systemic change,” she said.
Turning Policy into Action
Echoing her call for action, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Annelie Lotriet, acknowledged that while policies already exist, implementation is lacking.
“The frameworks are in place, the statistics are known, and what remains is deliberate and determined action that is driven by political will,” Lotriet said.
About the G20 P20 Summit
As South Africa takes the lead in the G20 Presidency, it will host the upcoming G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20). The P20 Summit brings together Speakers and Presiding Officers from G20 member nations, serving as the legislative arm of the G20. Its aim is to foster international cooperation among parliaments on critical global development issues, including gender equality, inclusive growth, and democratic governance.
This historic platform gives African leaders the opportunity to influence global policy and ensure that gender equity becomes a lived reality for women and girls throughout the continent.
