“Women leaders need to make a transition from working in comfortable zones as in silos, to achieving greater integration of our work to empower women.”

Deputy Minister of Police, Ms Maggie Sotyu speaking at the 4th Annual

Leadership for Women in Law Enforcement Conference, Midrand, May 27th “I would like to thank the organisers of this

conference for inviting the Ministry of Police to make some contributing remarks on this occasion to celebrate the empowerment of women working in the law enforcement environment. I understand that the fourth Annual Leadership for Women in Law Enforcement Conference has become a very important platform, where women from all over the world, especially from Africa, have for the past three years, been gathering to discuss

key elements as they seek to ensure that issues of women in law enforcement are heard, recognised, and respected. We need to acknowledge the great idea of the Intelligence Transfer Centre (ITC) identifying the need for women in uniform to have one conference. Perhaps, I need not to convince you that this conference has happened within an enabling solid historical background of post-apartheid transformative leadership begun under the stewardship of the first democratically-elected President, Dr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Barely a year in governance, the then new ANC-ruling government showed that it will never tolerate gender-based violence, women inequality and under-development, by quickly ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

This government’s leadership was undoubtedly founded on creativity, compassion and common desire for a better life for all, especially for the vulnerable groups of our society, women, children, the physically challenged and the elderly. With that same transformational leadership shown during post-apartheid, the current government administration continues to develop, adopt and advocate laws that include the Domestic Violence Act, the Sexual Offences Act and the Children’s Act.

Deputy Minister of Police, Ms Maggie Sotyu 110 Management Today | August 2011

But, of course, leadership for a better life and better world for women and children will always face severe constraints despite our continuous efforts. Perhaps then, as delegates here, we need to acknowledge that the scope for a transformative leadership will always be challenged by complexities and unpredictability’s of values, norms, structures,