He was addressing a gala event to honour the country's successful business entrepreneurs and executives in Sandton, north of Johannesburg, last night.

The Bill was first introduced in the National Assembly in 2008 and was later withdrawn, and has been re-introduced.

A number of civil society groups have called for the scrapping of the controversial Bill, saying it does not inadequately protect women in the traditional court system.

Meanwhile, president of Businesswomen's Association of South Africa, Kunyalala Maphisa, has slammed the private sector for paying lip service to gender-related transformation.

"We still have companies today who have no women at management level, be it as directors or executives. These are companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), a cause for disappointment. We do not have what it takes to compel change that is good for the country, but have to leave it to the market dynamics," says Maphisa.

She says that it is against this backdrop that, left to the market forces, gender transformation in this country will never happen.

SABC News