Date: 06/11/2003
Source: Ministry of Public Works
Title: Sigcau: Anniversary of SA Women in Construction
ADDRESS BY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS, STELLA SIGCAU AT THE LAUNCH OF THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION, DBSA Auditorium, 6 November
The Chairperson of South African Women in Construction
All members of the board
Ladies and gentlemen
I am honoured to be amongst you at this occasion of the official presentation of your 2003 Annual Report. An Annual Report by its nature chronicles achievements of the past year but also gives indications of good corporate governance, sound administration, and responsible management practices we adopt in our daily operations. It is an instrument with which to share our successes with the outside world, with pride and joy.
It is exactly four years since our formal association began at the launch of the South African Women in Construction Business Trust on 23 August 1999. Today we meet to cast our eyes on the road travelled together and highlight any major milestones attained along the way.
In its articles of association, the South African Women in Construction (SAWIC) states as its object, among others the:
* Promotion and advancement of women in construction
* Promotion of education and contribution to the betterment of the construction industry
* Enhancement of the entrepreneurial development of women-owned enterprises in construction.
I could not agree more with the above objectives. The struggle by women in the construction industry to achieve excellence and be recognised as contractors in their own right is beginning to pay dividends. As Ms Khanyi Mlambo, Chairperson of SAWIC Board put it, "Already women contractors are in demand for good credit records and finishing contracts ahead of time at the required quality. Our competitive edge lies in taking care of our contracts the way we do our families".
Recently I came back from the Eastern Cape where on two separate occasions I was shocked by the quality (or lack thereof) of one contractor who built the multi-purpose community centre at Sandrift and the other who did finishing touches at the Great Royal Place of King Xolilizwe Sigcawu at Nqadu. I have publicly called for those contractors to be recalled by the local government authorities (as project implementers) to account. The structures I am talking about cost R1,1 million and R5,5 million respectively. Small or emerging or women enterprises should not and will not be equated to shoddy work devoid of professionalism and care. I would like to believe that women enterprises will never be equated with shoddy work devoid of professionalism and care.
In 1999, the Emerging Contractor Development Programme comprised of a mere 1200 emerging contractors registered on its database. Of those, only 7% were women mostly involved in the lesser support side of the industry primarily providing cleaning, horticultural and catering services.
Our database has steadily grown and today women are just slightly above 10% of the nearly 3 300 registered small enterprises. In North America of the 9,5 million participants in the construction industry, about 934 000 (10%) are women. Though we seem to be in line the pace at which you progress still leaves much to be desired.
However, we have experienced a leap in the quality of work and the extent of projects being awarded to, and successfully executed by women contractors and women-owned construction enterprises. Such a result is due to the deliberate but strategic interventions by the Public Works Department to turn the tide and promote the cause of women in construction. When we launched the Strategic Empowerment Programme for Women in Construction on 9 August 2001, this we did against a gloomy background as painted by the outcomes of a study undertaken by the South African Gender Commission. Their report concluded that mining and construction were the two industries less likely to offer opportunities to women. I am sure that the next report will definitely be far more positive as we both instances risen to the challenge.
To date, 79 contracts with a combined value of R188 million had been awarded to, and successfully implemented by women contractors. These include:
* R19 million Repairs and Maintenance Project at Leeuwkop Prison, Gauteng
* R3 million Repair and Maintenance at Krugersdorp Prison, Gauteng
* R3 million Repair and Renovation Project at Strandfontein Police Station, Western Cape.
While we hail efforts of these women, we are fully aware of the many challenges they had to face in order to get recognition. These obstacles are universal and afflict women in construction the same in many parts of the world, including developed countries. The barriers for women advancement have been identified among others as arising from the industry's past male-biased construction education courses, selection criteria, recruitment practices, sexist attitudes, male dominated work environment as well as general lack of women representation in the industry's many formal structures.
Reading through the literature of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) in North America, I was heartened by their resolve. Faced with almost identical challenges as ourselves, NAWIC who state their core purpose as enhancing the success of women in the construction industry, have adopted the following as their core values:
* Believe in ourselves as women
* Persevere with the strength of our convictions
* Dare to move into new horizons
Since their founding in 1955, NAWIC, driven by passion to see women succeed in this industry and propelled by the values above, have established affiliation agreements with similar organisations in United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and with SAWIC in South Africa in 1999. Networking (sharing of ideas) and benchmarking (sharing of best practices) will be crucial on our road to success.
The construction industry is one of the key economic activities that will drive the development agenda of the government, and indeed of the continent. Whilst the Emerging Contractor Development Programme continues to nurture the lower (entry) level contractors reasonably well, it has however not succeeded in graduating these contractors into serious industry players.
In this financial year, the NDPW will be making a major announcement, launching a programme that will turn the tide - The Incubator Programme. This is a programme that will make sure that real empowerment takes place within the construction industry by:
* Facilitating contracts of significant scope and size (up to R25 million) are undertaken by black prime contractors and women-owned enterprises
* Increasing the value and number of contracts executed by prime contractors
* Increasing number of priority enterprises at both prime and sub-contract level
The objective is to ensure sustainability of government interventions by identifying selected potential contractors and putting them in an accelerated programme for their development.
In conclusion I urge you all to "continue with the strength of your convictions" and to learn to beat the odds. Continue to create, identify and exploit opportunities for growth and development. Government initiatives such as the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) will provide further opportunities my plea to you is that those of you who are now success stories should give a helping hand to those sisters less successful than yourselves. The HIV/AIDS challenge remains high on our agenda and as an industry, we cannot afford to be lax on this fight because we know first hand the devastating effects of the epidemic on our skills and capacity.
I thank you.
Issued by: Ministry of Public Works
6 November 2003
Source: Ministry of Public Works
Title: Sigcau: Anniversary of SA Women in Construction
ADDRESS BY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS, STELLA SIGCAU AT THE LAUNCH OF THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION, DBSA Auditorium, 6 November
The Chairperson of South African Women in Construction
All members of the board
Ladies and gentlemen
I am honoured to be amongst you at this occasion of the official presentation of your 2003 Annual Report. An Annual Report by its nature chronicles achievements of the past year but also gives indications of good corporate governance, sound administration, and responsible management practices we adopt in our daily operations. It is an instrument with which to share our successes with the outside world, with pride and joy.
It is exactly four years since our formal association began at the launch of the South African Women in Construction Business Trust on 23 August 1999. Today we meet to cast our eyes on the road travelled together and highlight any major milestones attained along the way.
In its articles of association, the South African Women in Construction (SAWIC) states as its object, among others the:
* Promotion and advancement of women in construction
* Promotion of education and contribution to the betterment of the construction industry
* Enhancement of the entrepreneurial development of women-owned enterprises in construction.
I could not agree more with the above objectives. The struggle by women in the construction industry to achieve excellence and be recognised as contractors in their own right is beginning to pay dividends. As Ms Khanyi Mlambo, Chairperson of SAWIC Board put it, "Already women contractors are in demand for good credit records and finishing contracts ahead of time at the required quality. Our competitive edge lies in taking care of our contracts the way we do our families".
Recently I came back from the Eastern Cape where on two separate occasions I was shocked by the quality (or lack thereof) of one contractor who built the multi-purpose community centre at Sandrift and the other who did finishing touches at the Great Royal Place of King Xolilizwe Sigcawu at Nqadu. I have publicly called for those contractors to be recalled by the local government authorities (as project implementers) to account. The structures I am talking about cost R1,1 million and R5,5 million respectively. Small or emerging or women enterprises should not and will not be equated to shoddy work devoid of professionalism and care. I would like to believe that women enterprises will never be equated with shoddy work devoid of professionalism and care.
In 1999, the Emerging Contractor Development Programme comprised of a mere 1200 emerging contractors registered on its database. Of those, only 7% were women mostly involved in the lesser support side of the industry primarily providing cleaning, horticultural and catering services.
Our database has steadily grown and today women are just slightly above 10% of the nearly 3 300 registered small enterprises. In North America of the 9,5 million participants in the construction industry, about 934 000 (10%) are women. Though we seem to be in line the pace at which you progress still leaves much to be desired.
However, we have experienced a leap in the quality of work and the extent of projects being awarded to, and successfully executed by women contractors and women-owned construction enterprises. Such a result is due to the deliberate but strategic interventions by the Public Works Department to turn the tide and promote the cause of women in construction. When we launched the Strategic Empowerment Programme for Women in Construction on 9 August 2001, this we did against a gloomy background as painted by the outcomes of a study undertaken by the South African Gender Commission. Their report concluded that mining and construction were the two industries less likely to offer opportunities to women. I am sure that the next report will definitely be far more positive as we both instances risen to the challenge.
To date, 79 contracts with a combined value of R188 million had been awarded to, and successfully implemented by women contractors. These include:
* R19 million Repairs and Maintenance Project at Leeuwkop Prison, Gauteng
* R3 million Repair and Maintenance at Krugersdorp Prison, Gauteng
* R3 million Repair and Renovation Project at Strandfontein Police Station, Western Cape.
While we hail efforts of these women, we are fully aware of the many challenges they had to face in order to get recognition. These obstacles are universal and afflict women in construction the same in many parts of the world, including developed countries. The barriers for women advancement have been identified among others as arising from the industry's past male-biased construction education courses, selection criteria, recruitment practices, sexist attitudes, male dominated work environment as well as general lack of women representation in the industry's many formal structures.
Reading through the literature of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) in North America, I was heartened by their resolve. Faced with almost identical challenges as ourselves, NAWIC who state their core purpose as enhancing the success of women in the construction industry, have adopted the following as their core values:
* Believe in ourselves as women
* Persevere with the strength of our convictions
* Dare to move into new horizons
Since their founding in 1955, NAWIC, driven by passion to see women succeed in this industry and propelled by the values above, have established affiliation agreements with similar organisations in United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and with SAWIC in South Africa in 1999. Networking (sharing of ideas) and benchmarking (sharing of best practices) will be crucial on our road to success.
The construction industry is one of the key economic activities that will drive the development agenda of the government, and indeed of the continent. Whilst the Emerging Contractor Development Programme continues to nurture the lower (entry) level contractors reasonably well, it has however not succeeded in graduating these contractors into serious industry players.
In this financial year, the NDPW will be making a major announcement, launching a programme that will turn the tide - The Incubator Programme. This is a programme that will make sure that real empowerment takes place within the construction industry by:
* Facilitating contracts of significant scope and size (up to R25 million) are undertaken by black prime contractors and women-owned enterprises
* Increasing the value and number of contracts executed by prime contractors
* Increasing number of priority enterprises at both prime and sub-contract level
The objective is to ensure sustainability of government interventions by identifying selected potential contractors and putting them in an accelerated programme for their development.
In conclusion I urge you all to "continue with the strength of your convictions" and to learn to beat the odds. Continue to create, identify and exploit opportunities for growth and development. Government initiatives such as the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) will provide further opportunities my plea to you is that those of you who are now success stories should give a helping hand to those sisters less successful than yourselves. The HIV/AIDS challenge remains high on our agenda and as an industry, we cannot afford to be lax on this fight because we know first hand the devastating effects of the epidemic on our skills and capacity.
I thank you.
Issued by: Ministry of Public Works
6 November 2003
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