WASSA

PUBLIC HEARING ON BOXING CONTROL AMENDMENT BILL.
SPORT PARLIAMENTARY PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE (CAPE TOWN)
20 OCTOBER 2000

Firstly, I would like to commend government for removing a clause of 1954 out of the previous Boxing Control Act which specified in section 21A ‘Prohibition in respect of females' (1) stated that: "No female shall take part in any tournament as a boxer or a wrestler."

Women and Sport South Africa, presented our objection on 21 July 1998 to the Portfolio Committee and request that section 21A be removed from the Bill as it is in contradiction with the South African Constitution and all other related international policies. See Appendix 1 below.

Allow me to acknowledge that Government is taking the decisive step in the direction of eliminating the gender inequality that has dominated South African sport for many decades.

WASSA request that the following be taken into consideration when finalising the Boxing Bill:

a) Chapter 1,no.2 ; 27 (k) " provide for the establishment of an infrastructure to acquire boxing facilities (which are women friendly) for both professional and amateur boxing

b) Chapter 1, no.3 ;50(c) " to apply to both male and women boxing (women to change to female)

c) Chapter 2, no.7 ; section (j)50-55 to accommodate a period for women to be able to be tested for pregnancy

d) Chapter 2, no. 9 ;40 (c) (i) women to be changed to female

e) Chapter 2, no.16; 45 (2) last sentence on public service (would this include equity plan?)

f) Chapter 2, no. 21 ; 5 development plan with special focus on women and girls development

g) chapter 2, no.27 ; 15-25 is quiet on female representation

h) Chapter 3, no. 43; 16 (d) "ensure that prescribed standards are met" which standards as women/ girls will have deferent testing and standards. There should be clarity on this issue especially for female boxers

i) Chapter 3, no. 47 ; 6(h) this clause needs further attention especially on weight requirements

WASSA will suggest that number 47 should also include the clause on protective major for women eg. Breast and stomach.

We further suggest a workshop with female representatives, medical doctors, legal experts and other stakeholders to be organised to discuss the following issues:
Involvement of female doctors within the pool of doctors
For how long should women box and how many rounds
Pregnancy and all other issues relating to women as boxers

In conclusion I would like to say that sport and recreation forms part of the overall transformation strategy and contribute to the overall social, economic and national emancipation, which should benefit all citizens. In the White Paper for Sport and Recreation, it is stated that: "for sport to progress we need individuals to acknowledge the demands of the 21st Century"
That " Gender equality and the right of women to participate is paramount.

Thank you!

Ntambi Ravele
Chairperson(WASSA)

South African National Boxing Control Commission

PARLIAMENT (CAPE TOWN) _ 21 JULY 1998.

The constraints women face with regard to their involvement in sport are many and varied, in particular, in South Africa where a great variety of cultures, races and individuals aim to establish their own place in the sun. It is obviously impossible to cater for everyone’s needs, but much work has to be done to close the gap between male and female participation and performance levels. One way that South Africa is addressing these issues is the setting up and launching of WASSA (Women And Sport South Africa). WASSA has been up and running for over a year. It was originally constitute as a partnership between the DSR and the two macro bodies and it was designed to utilise existing structures and women’s organisations. The need for WASSA being set up was to be more inclusive and representative than existing structures as it would bring in women’s desks, health, welfare and education. It is the embodiment of all the sports structures and therefore is not in any way a threat to any sport body, but plays a role in supporting and enhancing all sport and recreation programmes.

WASSA is aware of the existence of many South Africans who are unable to participate in the normal sports programmes provided by National Federations and other Sports Organisations. Many of these people became non-participants not by choice but because of discrimination. Women are now the target of the DSR, NSC and NOCSA’s ‘Sports for All’ programmes.

WASSA is made up of a National Steering Council whose role is to:-

_ report directly to the Minister of Sport and Recreation and advise him on issues of national concern and on gender sensitive policies and programmes for women and girls in sports and recreation.

_ developing strategies and mechanisms which will speed up equity, development and affirmative action programmes in all sport codes to ensure that racial, gender participation and representivity is achieved at all levels especially at decision - making levels in sport and recreation.

We also have provincial and regional structures which means we can now reach every woman in South Africa.

The South African Constitution is a democratic document which is inclusive and caters for the rights of all South Africans and accommodates all sections of the population. South Africa is one of the democratic countries that demonstrates the right of women through its recognition of the empowerment of women, which is entrenched in the Bill of Rights. It is important to note that our constitution is respected as being one of the best on paper and therefore it is going to require all of us to translate this document into reality.

The White Paper on Sport and Recreation’s Priority four(4) states that; "Gender equality and the right of women to participate is paramount. National Federations will be encouraged to devise training and development programmes to facilitate the participation of women, and to remove barriers that may prevent women from vocations in training, administration, coaching, and sport and recreation management".

WASSA therefore finds the Boxing and Wrestling Control Act totally unacceptable when it specifies in 21A Prohibition in respect of females (1) No female shall take part in any tournament as a boxer or a wrestler. This is against the South African constitution.

I might also add that not only do we have the backing of South Africa’s constitution to protect women against discrimination but globally there is now documentation addressing the discrimination facing women.

In the 2^nd World Conference on Women and Sport taking place in Namibia this year the main focus was that the discrimination against women was not a women’s issue but a human rights issue.

This was followed and reiterated by a United Nations (UN) spokeswoman Dr Patricia Flor (Chairperson of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women) who stated that :-

She stated

"Today, many people continue to belittle the topic of women and sport. It is to the United Nations’ credit that it firmly located the issue where it belongs - in the human rights context. Over two decades, the international community confirmed time and again explicitly in UN documents that the principle of non-discrimination encompasses the right of all women and girls to engage in sport, physical and recreation activity on an equal basis with men and boys.

The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women called CEDAW, building on the existing human rights standard of non-discrimination on the basis of sex, was a cornerstone for the women’s rights movement as such and also for the movement for equality in sport when it was adopted by the General Assembly in 1979.

The Convention clearly establishes that the specific restriction of girls or women in their recreational activities and in sport is an act of discrimination. It is thus a violation of their human rights when decreed by a state and it inhibits the enjoyment of their human rights when imposed by tradition or customary practices. CEDAW is a legally binding human rights treaty and has been ratified by more than 150 states including South Africa.

In 1995 the Fourth World conference on Women in Beijing devoted space in its final document to the question of women’s active physical life under the two critical areas "women and health’ and the "girl child’. The Beijing Platform for Action, which was adopted by consensus by all governments including South Africa, underscores that women have the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health."

As you can see it is for this reason that the discrimination against women in boxing is not up for debate. South Africa is committed not only nationally, but internationally and has put it in writing that it will not discriminate.

If action is not taken within boxing I can assure you that we will start to see court cases similar to the case recently in the UK where the British Board of Boxing Control was taken on by a female boxer who was turned down for a professional licence. She was backed by the Equal Opportunities Commission and was successful in winning her case. After winning her claim she will seek the tribunal’s maximum payment of R200,000 (two hundred thousand) and claim damages of R1000,000. (one million).

Benefits for women in boxing.

In a recent article from a female boxing coach(Raine New) about female participating she states:-

 Aggression - "girls love it, normally they aren’t encouraged to release their aggression by letting of steam. Boxing teaches them self defence, self confidence and not to be self conscious.

 Boxing is an art form and women should have a go.

I have experienced women who have suffered from domestic violence and nothing is said about that; but when you want to put two women in a Boxing ring, all hell breaks loose.

A lot of the arguments put forward for why women should not participate in boxing are put forward by men. WASSA as the overall body of women and sport has never been approached by boxing on a consultancy or advisory basis. I would like to know therefore which women were consulted. The acts within the constitution are dated from 1954 to 1988. There were many laws around at the time which encouraged discrimination, for example the law of apartheid. Now is the time for change.

WASSA recognise the important role that women can play in ‘getting the nation to play’, we have sensitised the macro-sport bodies, recreation structures, school structures, national federations and communities to gender equity and the needs of women with respect to active participation and involvement in decision-making.

Just as sport has much to offer South Africa, South African women have much to offer sport. Our clear vision for the future, underpinned by a well planned strategy will together ensure that not only the contributions sport can make to South African women are realised, but that the contributions South African women can make to sport are equally well recognised and rewarded.

WASSA therefore request that section 21A and all other sub - sections which relate to that should be removed from the Act

THANK YOU!

Ntambi Ravele

Chairperson (WASSA)