Gauteng Department of Housing MEC N Mokonyane address at the Women in Hosing Indaba held at Emperors Palace

Programme Director
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

It is this month fifty-one years ago that more than twenty-thousand (20 000) women marched to the Union Building, which then symbolised white supremacy and oppression of the majority of South Africans particularly blacks. And they were protesting against the law that required black women to carry 'passes' like their male counterparts.

While their males counter parts might have accepted the then status quo as normal to carry 'passes'. These women braved the mighty force of apartheid state and said no to the carrying of 'passes'. And the heroic role played by women such as Helen Joseph, Lillian Ngoyi, Ida Mntwna, Fatima Meer, MaSisulu and many unsung heroines cannot be forgotten.

Today the August Month is celebrated as a remainder of the hefty contribution made by women to society and serves to acknowledge the difficulties and prejudices many women still face. We use this month to honour the bravery of women, who in the face of a mighty and intransigent apartheid government, organised a massive march to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 and fought against the extension of the humiliating pass laws to women. Nine August is commemorated as National Women's Day every year.

In its January 8th anniversary statement this year the national Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC) said: We must take care to ensure that women are integrally involved and targeted in the design and implementation of our economic empowerment programmes. As a section in society who, despite comprising more than half of our people, continues to confront additional economic disadvantages, all our programmes need to have a capacity to benefit and empower women.

This will only be achieved by involving women in the process and ensuring that they are able to help direct and monitor all the work in this regard. We have convened this Woman in Housing indaba to amongst others assist the department to balance the experience of women against their potential ability and contribute to halving poverty and creating jobs while housing the nation.

Some of the objectives are:

* to share experiences and document best practices
* to explore mechanisms of bridging the gap in gender inequality
* to enhance the capacity of women to participate in building sustainable human settlements.

The government has put in place many laws to improve the lives of women, including laws and programmes to prevent discrimination against women and promote women's access to jobs, business contracts and social services. The Gauteng government has involved ordinary women directly in governance through the Women's Dialogues, where women have had the opportunity to directly influence government programmes to improve their lives. The first women's dialogues were held in August 2003, when women came from all over the province to express their views and draw up a programme of action to make Gauteng a better place for women. In August 2004, regional women's dialogues were held in the metros and districts and in March this year, the second provincial dialogue was held. Among the key priorities identified were:

* empowerment for women entrepreneurs
* improving women's access to education and skills development
* improving women's access to social services
* ensuring 50% representation of women at all levels of government
* promoting awareness of women's rights
* putting an end to violence against women and children
* reducing the burden of HIV and AIDS on women, children and families.

The Gauteng Provincial Government is working on implementing programmes in all these areas. We have a range of programmes and services that are making a difference in the lives of women. These include the provision of social and economic infrastructure, the upgrading of informal settlements and provision of housing, improved policing and the development of an integrated, affordable and accessible public transport system.

The Department of Housing in Gauteng has developed the Housing Development Women Involvement Sector (HDIS) 2007 to 2009. This takes note of some of the outstanding features of this year's Women's Month that the women in our country have made their voices loud and clear that, 'Nothing about Women without Women.'

And in terms of policy, our country and indeed our province is set on a right course in terms of the empowerment and development of women. Our government has elaborated many interventions and established institutions that are appropriately focused with regard to the task to advance the objective of women emancipation. As the department we say, now is the time to implement new programmes specifically targeted at accelerating women's development, while ensuring that we improve the effectiveness of all the existing programmes.

It is for this reason that we want the Housing Development Women Involvement Strategy to take women involvement in the housing sector to higher levels. Like those women of the fifties who came before who said never again will they carry passes. Today as women we say never again are we going to spectators and just recipients of development but drivers and shakers of development.

While society does acknowledge the critical role that women play in the development of the same society, it is equally critical that women should be accorded the deserved in the economic mainstream of society. We do agree that this is an African Century and may we also add that it is indeed also the Women's Century.

We should all appreciate the centre stage women are taking as we enter the threshold of a new millennium. The commitment of women is second to none, their hope and patience brings new life and dimension to the housing sector. And this is demonstrated in many projects where women are contractors. However, women still face challenges of injustice and exclusion resulting mainly from the enormous inequities in income, wealth and power dominating today's world. Women are also burdened by the financial crisis within their homes and debt. And these experiences have negatively affected their health well-being as they continue to experience the burden of poverty over their lives and that of their households.

As a department we are joining hands with the rest of the world to improve the status and economic conditions of women, particularly in Gauteng as part of the Breaking New Grounds Strategy to Build Sustainable Human Settlements and where women will be assisted through various intervention mechanisms to receive skills training and other forms of capacitation to enable them to play a meaningful role in growing the economy of Gauteng.

Programme Director, do allow me to elaborate more on the Housing Development Sector Involvement Strategy. As we mentioned before about existing policy, we wish to make a point that this strategy is building on the work that has already been undertaken in the process of meeting our obligations to deliver services to all citizens in the province. The strategy is aimed at strengthening efforts by government to improve the situation of women and establish areas of strategic focus that will effect and make an impact on service delivery. We are to pay special focus on the needs of various sectors of society classified as vulnerable and marginalised in terms of economic activity.

The identified sectors include women, youth and the disabled and we wish to make an appeal to all particularly emerging women contractors to ensure that they register and appear in the Department's Service Providers Database. And through our outreach programs will ensure that there is awareness and dissemination of information to communities. For these programmes to be implemented key partners have been identified namely; National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), the Banking sector, community based organisations (CBOs), non-governmental organisation (NGOs) as well as developed companies. And they will all be expected to contribute towards the development and upliftment of this sectors particularly women led ones.

Pillars of the strategy:

* poverty eradication
* reduction of unemployment
* creation of economically vibrant communities
* skills training
* promotion of entrepreneurship.

Achievements: 2004 to 2007

* During the 2006/07 financial, ten women contractors were appointed with a ring fenced amount to the tune of R200 million for the construction of low cost housing.
* In 2006 the department employed 600 people on a contractual basis to conduct an occupancy audit for the duration of four months. These contract workers a majority of whom were women have all received certificate of recognition for the service rendered.
* The department participated in the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) which focused on developing entrepreneurs including women. These were emerging contractors who received contracts and training funded by the department while they were attending periodic training in various fields of construction and management.

Women participated along their male counter-parts as they were awarded contracts to build infrastructure in various communities across all regions of Gauteng. The achievements recorded above form the pillar of our operational direction on a daily basis to ensure that the aspirations and expectations of all women in the province are met.

Support system for women contractors

Historically, the construction industry has been a male-dominated sector in terms of employment at all levels that include ownership and entrepreneurship. Today, because of the intervention by the Democratic State, nearly 60% of women aged 16 and above exercise various levels of participation in the industry. Nonetheless, women entrepreneurship remains on the periphery of the national economy due to lack of necessary resources e.g., start up funds for women to develop their own business.

And through our Professional Resource in all regions who will appoint mentors that are to assist the women contractors. And as we implement these noble programmes we shall ensure that other strategies including broad based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) and its integral role in the transformation of the construction sector are adhered to and respected by all.

And inline with the Gauteng Provincial Public Works Strategy, amongst others we undertake the following:

* target skills development and employment equity for women particularly in areas that are presently male dominated
* support women to enter into the construction industry and to make a meaningful contribution in infrastructure development
* increase chances of women to own construction companies. This exposure can be accomplished through mentors or role models in the workplace, home career guidance, internship, and cooperative education programmes including training in construction and business management.
* design targeted procurement and enterprise development
programmes which increase the participation of women as owners of property assets and business in the sector.

Immediate interventions

While we acknowledge the support provided to women, it is also imperative that certain interventions be made to mainstream women participation. And the following is to be put in place:

* increase the speed of housing delivery
* women to participate in service activities geared towards rebuilding their communities
* participate in the training of women in construction at various National Qualification Framework (NQF) levels
* the NHBRC to provide monitoring and inspection services
* government to deliver housing built with an emphasise on quality and location
* develop Development Centres that contribute towards the employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for women.

Challenges

A point has to be made that some of the challenges that are faced by the women contractors are not necessarily unique to them only. In fact some of these challenges will now be overcome because women are now on board and our male counter parts for centuries could not overcome these challenges.

And some are indeed as a result of unfortunate past which we do wish to forget but keeps on rearing its ugly head. Other challenges relate to the ever increasing cost of building material especially cement. It must be mentioned that some of the challenges are of institutional and legal nature and happen in any construction business irrespective of gender. But as the department we remain committed in ensuring that women in the housing sector are taken to the next higher level.

Mitigating the challenges against women development

1. Promote mutual benefits between women contractors, government and the private sector.
2. Ensure participation, development and a peaceful environment for women development and ascension into leadership roles in terms of growing the economy of the province through housing development.
3. There is a need to harness the energies, enthusiasm and creative abilities of women to the tasks of nation-building for the economic, social and cultural advancement of communities.
4. Breakaway from seeing women as a 'problem' by developing
policies that affirm women to a more integrated and developmental approach where society takes responsibility for providing an enabling environment for women to meet their full potential.
5. Formulate and monitor provincial gender policies.
6. Ensure effective co-ordination of different departments on omen of issues and to ensure that there is effective mainstreaming of women policy in the provincial development planning.

All these programmes are aimed at ensuring the sacrifice by the fifties women generation is not in vain. And this is making incontrovertible statement that indeed women in province and society have much to rejoice about as we celebrate the Women's Month. And we salute all the women who sacrifice to ensure that no triple oppression of women in our country and indeed so much must still be done to realise the total emancipation of women. No moment should be spared in not advancing the course of the woman's place in the housing and not only in the kitchen.

The democratic government has shown the way and we pay homage to all women heroines and unsung ones. Government, together with women, has done a lot to make Gauteng a better place for women. These programmes are put together with women, for women.

We need to consolidate the gains made, build on the successes and move forward in improving the quality of life of women. Like the women of yesteryear who marched to the Union Buildings, each successive generation, women and men alike, must strive to build on the gains of the previous generation and achieve anew. The flame of equality and respect for the rights of women must be kept alive.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Housing, Gauteng Provincial Government
30 August 2007