In October last year Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni, announced during his maiden Medium Term Budget Policy that sanitary towels are exempted from VAT.
According to IOL News, this was after a long debate and research reports that showed many young girls missed out on school when they were on their menstrual cycle, because they were unable to afford proper sanitary towels.
With that in mind, Minister of Women in the Presidency, Bathabile Dlamini, will make the department’s Women’s Sanitary Dignity Programme a reality. As part of the programme free sanitary pads will be provided to girls in poorer schools Quintile 1 to 3 schools.
“As a result the National Treasury approved R157 million to ensure the immediate provision of sanitary pads in all provinces from this month to March next year,” said Dlamini.
IOL News further adds that the programme aims to provide low-income schools, state universities, psychiatric institutions, correctional facilities and various other care facilities, with sanitary towels, as well as include reproductive, menstrual and hygiene education for women and girls.
“The pads must be free because they now start menstruating at the age of nine, It’s young children, let’s start with something we are going to win.We must start with children and we will go gradually,” added Dlamini.
