Municipality focuses on role of women

Female representation in all spheres of government is another focus point. Of the 28 councilors in the Modimolle-Mookgophong Local Municipality, only nine are women — a mere 32%.

Therefore the municipality established a multi-party women’s caucus on Thursday 11 August in order to act as an advisory and consultative forum for all female councilors, representing their interests within the municipal council.

This caucus creates a support network for women to develop their capacity to manage their affairs successfully by building on existing skills and knowledge.

The objective of the caucus is to enable women to participate in making decisions within the council and administration. They need to ensure municipal processes have measures and strategies available to include women and prevent unfair discrimination. Another objective is working towards profile building of female councilors and facilitating leadership development for women.

This caucus is endorsed by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and includes all female councilors, irrespective of their political affiliation. The speaker of the local municipality, Sinah Langa, convened the first meeting on Thursday 11 August where Maria Kekana (councilor in Mookgophong) was elected as chairperson.

According to the mayor, Marlene van Staden one of the key roles of this caucus is to ensure that the municipality’s budget and integrated development plan (IDP) are gender-sensitive to ensure optimal female participation. Specific interventions should be sought to stimulate economic growth for women in our community.

Van Staden also mentioned that public awareness about government policies and programs aimed at the advancement of women’s and children’s rights will be created, including the rights of the elderly and other vulnerable groups.

SALGA requires that the women’s caucus should convene at least once every quarter but allow for special meetings to be called at any time for urgent matters.

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) conducted a survey in 2019 and found that 60% of children in South Africa have absent fathers. They also established that more than 40% of South-African mothers are single parents. This means that more women have the responsibility of being the main providers for their families than before.

During a Women Empowerment Seminar hosted by the United Nations at the Modimolle municipality on Wednesday 10 August, the importance of female entrepreneurs was highlighted.
According to the mayor, the topics for discussion included the many challenges female entrepreneurs face, what can be done to support these entrepreneurs, and how the local government can assist in creating an enabling environment for them to thrive.

On behalf of the United Nations’ women empowerment movement (www.unwomen.org), Angelo Kehayas explained the many challenges female entrepreneurs face in South Africa.

“Having to raise a family while running a business is no easy task. Most women don’t have access to large contracts due to token (gender bias) procurement practices. They also struggle to access funding and need help to submit the required documents to support agencies,” he said.

He continued that the most pressing needs of female entrepreneurs in the Modimolle-Mookgophong area are the need to understand marketing in general, pricing, and determining their ideal price point as well as access to paying markets. “This coaching program places a strong emphasis on networking and building trusted relationships with fellow female entrepreneurs,” he said.

Van Staden also addressed the members of the community, showing understanding and empathy for the many challenges female entrepreneurs face.

She reminded them that the Modimolle-Mookgophong Entrepreneurship Academy offers a great variety of online training courses free of charge. Anyone living in our district can enroll on their website: www.thestartuptribe.org(.)