ZUBEIDA BARMANIA
Zubeida Barmania
was born in South Africa. She was educated in South Africa, India, the
United Kingdom, Lebanon and Canada.
A
Barrister at Law, having been called to the Bar in London. England,
with an LLB from the University
of Western Ontario Canada and a Masters degree from the American University
of Beirut, Zubeida practised law briefly in South Africa, having pupilled
under the late Chief Justice of South Africa and subsequently in Canada
where she specialised in Pension Law.
Zubeida, the only daughter of a distinguished feminist leader, Fatima A.I.
Kajee was encouraged to participate in community activities. In Canada
she worked in various capacities as honorary Counsel, board director and
advisor to, among others, the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, the Canadian
Bar Association Committee on Visible Minority Women, the South Africa Canada
Association, the Association of Employees for Employment Equity, the Urdu
Society of Canada, the Canadian Council for Muslim Women, the Raag Mala
Society, and Islam–West.
It was in South Africa, encouraged
by her mentor the late Chief Justice Ismail Mahomed and Dullah Omar
the first black Minister of Justice, that she was to
make her most significant contribution.
Zubeida
was involved in a wide range of issues in South Africa including work
at the renowned Community Law Centre at the University of the Western Cape, senior
advisory work on retirement and pension issues, the South African Commission
on Gender Equality to which she was appointed by former President Mandela following
her nomination by a joint Committee of Parliament. She served on the Poverty
Commission hearings in Eastern Cape, appeared before Parliamentary committees
representing the Commission on Gender Equality.
From 1974 she worked for Ontario Hydro as a pensions lawyer and served on Employment
Equity and Gender Issue Committees’ of Hydro and the Canadian Bar Association.
In particular she organised the Committee on Visible Minority Women for the latter.
From 1980 to 1993 she was Counsel to the Canadian Council of Muslim Women.
Since returning to South Africa in 1993, Zubeida has worked with several Ministers
and served on the Gender Equality and Poverty Commissions.
In South Africa Zubeida has participated in seminars and held workshops as a Gender Commissioner and in the North West in particular pertaining to pension education.
A highlight of her role as Gender Commissioner was the invitation from Pakistan to spend five days giving televised seminars for an audience of 20 million viewers to address gender issues in Urdu.
Zubeida, through her biography, establishes her dedication to public service and equality issues.
South African Women for Women is pleased to present Zubeida the Community Service award, in recognition of her work in Canada and South Africa on gender equity and anti-poverty issues.