Businesswomen gain competitive edge
‘Businesswomen from our townships are key elements to growth’
THE City of uMhlathuze on Thursday hosted women from across the district, hoping to inspire them to become key role players in economic development.
‘When you empower women, you empower a nation,’ was the message given by keynote speaker and uMhlathuze deputy mayor Silondile Mkhize.
The Women in Business workshop, held at the Empangeni Civic Centre, sought to empower the ‘flowers of the nation’ by equipping them to partake in local business through the city’s amended supply chain management (SCM) policy.
The policy has been amended to ensure women receive 40 percent of the capital budget, alongside another 40 percent to benefit youth and 20 percent to go towards empowering people with disabilities.
An example of the initiative’s success is the R 5-million contract for the reconstruction of the Empangeni taxi rank awarded to a 32-year-old uMhlathuze businesswoman.
‘Businesswomen from our townships are key elements to growth,’ said Mkhize. ‘We are striving for women’s emancipation and are aiming to get large numbers of women in uMhlathuze involved in business.’
The proposed SMME Park in Richards bay, which has already been designed and budgeted for, will create further opportunities as female tenants will be subsided to increase their efficiency.
A business centre will also be constructed in eSikhaleni to help monitor female economic participation, and will hold regular workshops to offer aspiring businesswomen skills and advice.
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