International Women's Day is an important occasion for women all over the world. It is not only an occasion for women from all continents to celebrate our triumphs and achievements, but to take stock of what still needs to be done.

Yes, in the last nine decades women from all linguistic, ethnic, cultural, religious, economic and political walks of life have a lot to celebrate. We have the vote, some of the biggest companies in the world are successfully run by women, we have women heads of state, including in Africa, where the continent's first woman president was inaugurated in Liberia last month. These are but some of the many global milestones that women have achieved since the turn of the century.

In South Africa we also have a lot to celebrate. During the brutal years of Apartheid women were at the forefront of the battles against that dreaded system of systematic oppression. Our history is filled with the stories of the heroic deeds carried out by patriotic South African women who were not prepared to heed to the yoke of Apartheid.

Women in urban and rural areas, black and white, rich and poor, the religious and non-religious, stood together side by side, to fight and emphatically defeat Apartheid.

Since 1994 South African women have achieved many milestones. These include one of the highest proportions of women parliamentary representativity in the world, a constitution that guarantees the right of women to dignity, protection and access to opportunities. Many women have made their mark in the political and business arena. We have a woman deputy president, speaker of parliament and a record 12 Ministers in our national cabinet.

As government we have also introduced legislation to deal with the social, economic and political legacies of Apartheid and underdevelopment. These include laws on broad-based economic empowerment that benefit historically disadvantaged individuals and groups, especially women. We have also established a social net to deal with poverty and social degeneration.

These are important interventions that are bearing fruits of prosperity for our communities. For instance in many rural communities women have been spared the indignity of walking long kilometers a day just to fetch clean water. Government has ensured that clean, drinkable water is available in communal taps that are a doorstep away.

Despite these many achievements, we however still face many challenges. For instance the results of a Statistics South Africa study recently showed that in the corporate sector women only made up about 35,9% of senior managers. In the government sector this figure was even lower, with women making up just 21,9% of senior managers.

This study was again a glaring reminder that yes, women have won important battles but have yet to win the all-important war against gender prejudice and bigotry. The road is still long and will be hard. We must strengthen our resolve and ensure that we do not fail in endeavors to create a society that is equal for all. International Women's Day gives us an opportunity to reiterate and strengthen this resolve.