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Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to speak at SAMWU Womens' Conference tomorrow

SAMWU Statement
23 September 1999

Members of the Press are invited to attend the South African Municipal Workers Union National Womens' Conference from tomorrow until Sunday.

Keynote speaker will be Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who will speak at 10am tomorrow. The Mayor of Rustenburg will open the conference, and Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana will speak on September 25th, 1999.

The conference is the culmination of two years of intensive surveying of womens' needs in local government by SAMWU Womens' Committees, which have been established from branch to national level. The surveys will form the basis for the launch of a SAMWU Womens' Charter at the conference.

The Women's Health Manual will also be launched at the Conference.

The conference also marks a milestone in womens' leadership in the union since SAMWU adopted a new constitution stipulating a quota system where 30% of elected leaders from shopstewards to National Office Bearers must be women. There are only about 15% of women working in local government.

For comment and updates during the Conference, please call the National Women's Committee Secretary, Allyson Kolbee on 082 500 6313.

The Conference will be held at the Karos Safari Hotel, Rustenburg just two hours outside of Johannesburg. To get there, take the N4 from Pretoria or the R24 from Johannesburg past the Hartebeespoort Dam. Once in Rustenburg, take van Staden Street, left into Malan Street, right into Watsoma Avenue, left into Rustenburg Kloof.

For a map please phone Fikiswa Buso or Soraya Farred on 021 6971153/4. The phone number at the hotel is 014 5141040.