Basic Education Deputy Minister, Dr Reginah Mhaule, and Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Ms Steve Letsike, hosted a Gala Dinner with Business on A Shared Agenda on Menstrual Health and Sanitary Dignity under the theme: “Towards Period-friendly Schools for a Period-friendly World”. The event was held at the Indaba Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre, in Fourways on 18 June 2026.
The proceedings were led by Mr Likho Bottoman, Acting Chief Director for Social Inclusion and Partnerships. During the Technical Inputs, Ms Tiamara Andrew from Blessing Lives spoke about Young Women and Girls Leading their own Menstrual Health and Sanitary Dignity Agenda, reminding delegates that “Silence allows the stigma to continue”. Mr Thato Mbha from the Amatyma Mencave, focussed his discussion on the purpose-driven and community-facing social impact interventions led by men, with a reading from the book that he co-authored with his daughters on puberty and menstruation. Dr Ruth Apostolov from ShePowHer, illustrated the importance of product mix and product choice for girls and women to choose what works best for their individual needs, whilst Ms Corrinne Fraser from Lil-Lets presented an Adopt-A-Community Model for Business: A Case Study of Lesotho, advocating age-appropriate communication combined with play. Messages of support were delivered from the Deputy President of Girls Act at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. A Solidarity Reel featuring key partners like Premier FMCG and Baithudi Mampane Foundation was played.
Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Ms Steve Letsike, said that “we are working together, doing incredible work around ending period poverty to make sure no girl is left behind. We gather during Youth Month and during the various freedom milestones to ensure that the dignity and freedom of our leaners is an education, gender equality and human rights issue that we need to address collaboratively”.
During her address, Deputy Minister Mhaule painted the background to the engagement: “Around World Menstrual Hygiene Day in 2025, when eleven government departments gathered in one room, supported by the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities to map the full scale of the problem. Eleven departments, and not one ring-fenced budget line dedicated to menstrual products that could meet the scale of the need across our public schooling system. In 2026, we took it directly to Parliament, twice: first to the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, and then to a Colloquium of the Joint Portfolio Committee convened by the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training. We told Parliament the truth, that government alone cannot close this gap on the timeline that our learners deserve. Parliament gave us a clear resolution to convene again, but this time, bring business into the room”.
Dr Mhaule added that “We are asking business to pledge support and to adopt menstrual health and sanitary dignity as a genuine area of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Social Investment, and to direct that investment to where government’s resources do not currently reach. Identify a cluster of schools. Identify a circuit. Identify a district that falls outside our existing programme coverage and implement there. Start small. Build a pocket of excellence. Let that pocket teach us what works and let it feed into a broader national rollout that benefits every menstruating learner in South Africa”.
Deputy Minister Mhaule expressed her gratitude to the Development Bank of Southern Africa; The Baithudi Mampane Foundation and Blessing Lives; Premier FMCG, through Lil-Lets, UNICEF; the AIDS Healthcare Foundation; and Tshwane TV. “The Department of Basic Education stands ready to walk this road with you, district by district, school by school, until every menstruator in this country can attend school with the dignity she deserves”. The Vote of Thanks was delivered by Ms Hana Yoshimoto, Chief of Education from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).