The City of Ekurhuleni city manager, Dr Imogen Mashazi, launched the 2023 edition of the City Manager’s Legacy Project on women empowerment by beaming the spotlight on transport and related infrastructure.
She launched the project on August 16 in Kempton Park, with the theme of accelerating socio-economic opportunities for female empowerment and recognition of women excelling at their work.
“We have launched the extension of our BRT program as part of the legacy project that started in 2016 for female empowerment,” said Mashazi.
Mashazi said the launch was the beginning of the legacy project, which would be concluded on August 24 with a gala dinner.
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The city manager purchased a bus ticket, like any other passenger and took a Harambee bus ride from the Thembisa main station to OR Tambo International Airport to view the operation and inspect the progress of the city’s Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system.
She also wanted to get a sense of how the programme has empowered women through jobs and economic opportunities.
Mashazi stopped in Rhodesfield to talk to a female contractor awarded the tender to extend the bus route.
“I was excited that a woman implemented the programme, a competent woman who started as part of our Vukuphile Project. It shows that the CoE is serious when we say we want to empower women,” said Mashazi.
She told the Kempton Express she was excited about the quality of work done by the contractor.
She said she was also proud that the contractor owned all the machines used during the project.
“It shows that she is empowered. She saw the opportunity when the city started Vukuphile to empower women.
For as a female accounting officer, I am excited about the program and hope that she is going to complete the whole route and also the station where she is going to start soon,” said the city manager.
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CEO of Musawenkosi Supply and Project, Irene Dlamini, said she is proud of the work she is doing.
“The CoE gave me a chance to work in construction. The industry is full of men and I thank the HOD for believing in me. When we started this project, there was nothing, so we extended the road for the BRT buses,” said Dlamini.
She also took the opportunity to show the city manager how she built the road.
Dlamini told the Kempton Express she is grateful for what the CoE has done for her.
“I have learnt that when they give you a job, you must give whatever you have to produce quality work. You must not have comebacks to whatever you are doing and that is very important,” she said.
The CoE head for the transport department communication and marketing, Matikane Mathebe, said there were nine stations for the Harambee buses already built and others still planned.
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He added the stations are named after politicians because these names were chosen through public participation.
“The names were put into a pool and chosen by the community before the council approved it in 2021.”
