Deputy Minister Pam Tshwete: International Women’s Day

Ladies and Gentlemen

Women have never given up the struggle for social, political, and economic emancipation. That is why we will always reflect on significant gains made, celebrate victories, strategize on how to face challenges head on and plan how we move forward.

This year also marks the end of the 6th administration, which necessitates us to reflect on achievements, outstanding challenges and plans going forward.

Since my deployment to this sector in 2019, I have seen progress on the advancement of women inclusion within the sector. It has not been a journey without challenges because of commitment from government and from the women stakeholders, today we can proudly say that we are not where we were 5 years ago.

A few months ago, we had a series of Round Tables with Women in Human Settlements in eight (8) Provinces except Eastern Cape because they were coming out of hosting a Human Settlements Indaba. We started in July 2023 and ended the Round Tables in August to prepare for the Women in Human Settlements Indaba that was held on the 19th - 20th August 2023, in Kimberley Northern Cape Province.

Our observations during the round table sessions and Indaba were the following:

• The issues of procurement and 40% set aside for women owned business entities, payment of women contractors within 30 days were on top of the agenda. We know that there are Provinces and Metros that are seriously committed to transformation agenda of this country. We know that they are committed to building a non-racial, non- sexist, democratic South Africa.
• Government has many opportunities, but access has been a challenge.

There are however regulations that tend to place a barrier on women accessing these opportunities.

• Issues of capacitation, particularly for emerging women owned construction companies.
• Women also deliberated on issues of using Innovative and Indigenous Building Methods in the context of climate change and environmental disasters that we have experienced. We had South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and Southy African Weather Services sharing information with women on the issues. We had the Khoisan Community, the Griqua Nation, giving us wealth of information on the resilient buildings that are still in existence today. These buildings were built before you and I were born.
• Women raised concerns of working in very difficult

terrains where they are affected by weather and typology. They have said that subsidy quantum does not cover these special cases. These were mainly women contractors working in very remote, vast, and mountainous areas such as KZN, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Limpopo, Free State to name a few.

We realize that more needs to be done in sharing information and we arranged consultative sessions on the Human Settlements White Paper so that issues of women can be mainstreamed in the White Paper.

• Women raised the need to have more access to information and value chain opportunities on a regular basis.

Department of Human Settlements Entities have various empowerment programmes, for example PPRA’s Principalization programme provides support to women to migrate from being a Property Practitioner erstwhile Estate Agent to a Principal Property Practitioner where they can run their own companies. To date under PPRA there are 37 principals that are going to transfer opportunities to 224 interns.

This is just but one example of our entities, as they all have programmes on transformation agenda. More work needs to be done to ensure that even women in rural areas have access to opportunities.

When it comes to set asides, Limpopo is leading with 152%, followed by Eastern Cape 125%, North West 114%, Kwa-Zulu Natal 61%. In addition, North West achieved 157% of its set aside budget from Informal Settlements Upgrading Partnership Grant. The overall performance of all human settlements budget allocated for women is 66% - 34% for youth and 2% for Persons with Disabilities. Overall Provinces and Metros have provided opportunities to over 600 companies through set aside, of which majority are women owned enterprises.

Minister, I must add that not all Provinces and Metros are heeding to the call, as this is evident in their constant poor performance. Women must know that we will not be tired until all Provinces and Metros adhere to the 40% set- aside.

Allow me to congratulate Eastern Cape MEC for such a quick turnaround. In the last financial year, Eastern Cape was at a mere 29% and now they are at 125% for the third Quarter 2023/2024 financial year. Minister these are fruits of continuous engagements with Provinces, Metros and Department of Human Settlements Entities. Women have indeed placed enormous pressure on the Provinces and Metros to perform.

National is also leading by example, for instance, we have spent 66% of our goods and services budget to women owned companies, 31% to youth owned companies and 2% to persons with disabilities. Ningalibali boomama, value chain also includes services of consultants and suppliers of machinery.

Women also raised challenges of non-payment within the stipulated 30 day period. Some provinces have honoured their commitment to paying the old-debt owed to some of the stakeholders sitting here today.

At the Women’s Indaba in Northern Cape, when I was sensitizing women and giving my parting speech, that indeed this is my last term, Minister said “No DM, we still have an International Women’s Day on the 8th of March 2024. I want you to continue this journey with women. I want us to establish a Women in Human Settlements Task Team”.

Since Kimberley Minister, I can attest that we had several engagements and sessions with the women formations, Provinces, Metros and Entities, which led to an establishment of Women in Human Settlements Task Team.

The first important task that women worked on was to consolidate Women in Indaba Resolutions and Report, which was tabled at MINMEC on the 15th September 2023 in Sun City, North West Province.

The second step was to develop a ROADMAP to lead us to International Women’s Day. Women worked tirelessly and with humility. They provided their services on a voluntary basis which yielded a ROADMAP with key workstreams namely: Capacitation, Market Access and Regulation, Procurement and Access to Finance, Innovative  and  Indigenous  Building  Technologies, Communications and Media Plan as well as Project Management and Oversight. This ROADMAP covers critical resolutions of Indaba.

The Third Step was then to introduce women task team to the Provinces, Metros and Department of Human Settlements Entities. I can attest Minister and Premier that I chaired those sessions and we have had at least seven sessions with women, where I was supported on a consistent basis by MECs.

During these engagement sessions, women were able to learn good practice models of Limpopo, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Mpumalanga, and in the last session Buffalo City Metro (BCM) Mayor was there and pleaded that the International Women’s Day celebrations must be hosted by her municipality, indeed we are here now.

All I can say Minister, women have been consistent in their messages across the engagements. 

All they said and are still saying is “Invest in us” let us work with you to accelerate human settlements delivery in the entire value chain. Women are saying let us partner through a social compact and deliver. A social compact will serve to build trust and promotes interaction and agreement among women in human settlements delivery value chain, represented by various women formations and the department to collaborate for a common good.

What is this common good? It means the poor must have access to adequate housing. The poor must always remain our top priority.

They are saying there is nothing new they are asking but want to follow procurement processes.

We have an approved Grant Policy Framework which is included in the Division of Revenue Act (DORA) which allows us to implement set aside for women as per His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa’s directive few years ago.