Manto hails Nobel prize winner
2004-10-08 20:51
Cape Town - Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was among the first South Africans on Friday to congratulate Kenyan deputy environment minister Wangari Maathai on being the first African women to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Maathai, an ardent environmentalist, won the prize on Friday.
She was cited for her work as leader of the Green Belt Movement that has planted more than 30 million trees across Africa.
Tshabalala-Msimang said it was a great achievement for Africa and many African women, who were engaged in the "daily struggles for social justice, gender equality, and restoring the dignity of the African people".
"We have said this is an African century and African men and women from across our continent are assuming their rightful position at a global level," she said.
- SAPA