President Thabo Mbeki yesterday expressed concern over the efficacy of government’s empowerment policies, particularly regarding gender-equality and the empowerment of women.

Speaking at the annual conference and first AGM of the South African Women Entrepreneurs’ Network (Sawen), Mbeki said that, while the government was to be commended on its equity and transformation policies and the passing of such acts as the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act, the Employment Equity Act and the Preferential Procurement Policy Act, he had, “doubts whether, in reality, these interventions were producing the intended results,” – the empowerment of women and other previously-disadvantaged South Africans.

Mbeki singled out the issue of access to finance, which had earlier been raised by Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry and Sawen patron Lindiwe Hendricks, in her speech, as a key obstacle faced by women entrepreneurs. Mbeki said that it was firstly the responsibility of government to ensure that its policies actually produce the desired results.

However, he added that it was also a responsibility of bodies such as Sawen to, “exercise some oversight over what government is doing to facilitate the emancipation of women.”

With a view to addressing the issue of gender (in)equality more accurately, a presidential working group on women had been formed and had already held its initial meeting.

Mbeki said that it was important that the president had systematic, regular discussions with the women of South Africa to determine the issues they faced, hear their views on government’s policy on women and, together, facilitate the implementation of strategies to fast-track the empowerment of women in South Africa.

(Sawen is a member of the newly-formed presidential working group on women.)

Mbeki said that he felt that the statement being made by the members and leaders of Sawen was threefold.

Firstly, that the women of South Africa were determined to take responsibility for the future of the country and were acknowledging their role in the transformation process.

Secondly, that women were assuming responsibility for addressing the poverty and underdevelopment in South Africa, through entrepreneurship, which would create wealth, increase prosperity and lower poverty.

Thirdly, Mbeki said that Sawen represented a determination on the part of women to tackle the situation whereby women in society, “often find themselves on the bottom of the pile.” He cited examples of poverty, lack of education and falling victim to violence, where women are generally the hardest-hit group.

Aside from the President, the conference was also attended by Hendricks, Minster of Trade and Industry Mandisi Mpahlwa, Minister of Education Grace Pandor and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad.

In his opening remarks, Mpahlwa quoted Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, saying that entrepreneurship should become a virus, “spreading through both the social and economic spheres in the country,” and added that he believes that Sawen will prove a critical driver in this process.

In her speech, Hendricks outlined the background and objectives of Sawen, which will be three years old in June.

The organisation was an initiative of the DTI’s Gender and Women’s Empowerment Unit, and the DTI had allocated R2-million to Sawen’s operations.

Hendricks said that, after identifying access to capital as a key issue faced by women entrepreneurs, Sawen had striven to provide its members with information and advice as to where finance and financial services could be accessed.

Further, advanced-stage talks were being held regarding the ring-fencing of a fund within the IDC for use by Sawen members.

Since its establishment, Sawen had provided members with business information and training through national workshops, supplied business-advisory services and interacted with government on its empowerment policies. The organisation had also facilitated access for its members to international markets, including companies in the UK, Sweden and Morocco.

Looking ahead, Hendricks said that the organisational structure of Sawen would be changing, with the DTI assuming a less active role, and Sawen being established as an independent and commercially-viable business venture.

Nonetheless, she added, and Mbeki reiterated in his speech, the DTI would still continue to maintain a strong interest in, and partner with, the organisation.

Mbeki concluded by committing the government and the presidency to partnering with Sawen to ensure that South Africa consistently and increasingly produced successful women.

He said that the success of empowerment initiatives could only be gauged by the success of their intended beneficiaries, and that Sawen and even government policies for the empowerment of women, would only have succeeded when successful South African women were being produced.