Sisters are doing it for themselves
Wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo!
Uza kufa!
The voices of the women who joined in protest against the demeaning pass laws of the apartheid regime in 1956 have not died. Today women’s voices are still ringing out to bring an end to injustice in the workplace, in marriages and relationships and against the social evils of our time.
The gender landscape has changed dramatically in South Africa and in KwaZulu-Natal in particular. We have made great strides in reversing the past regime’s legacy of deliberate underdevelopment. There are many inspiring stories about women, who have grown from humble beginnings to well respected business women. The increasing number of women in parliament and senior management positions in government is also proof of government’s commitment to women. Half of the KwaZulu-Natal Cabinet is now women.
Access to education
But most encouraging are the gains we have made in education. In the Ilembe district only 355 women of 18 years and older indicated in the 2001 Census that they had had a high school qualification. In 2007 more than 35 000 women in Ilembe said they had attended a high school.
Access to education for girls has increased dramatically as you can see from these figures. While many African children attended high schools before 1994, school was not compulsory and those who matriculated, achieved mainly through sacrifices made by their mothers and fathers. Sadly many girls were taken out of school after finishing their primary school years or even before that. They had to look after their siblings or start working to earn a living. Through no fault of their own many of our grandmothers and mothers are completely illiterate or functionally illiterate.
Masifundisane
To free them from their prisons of illiteracy the government launched the Masifundisane mass adult literacy in 2006. This was an addition to the formal Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) programmes. Close to 80 percent of the learners reached through Masifundisane have been women. But Masifundisane offers more than literacy skills. Through the open challenging discussions in class, Masifundisane presents women with information and several perspectives of life. And that is key–liberation starts in the mind–women have to believe that they don’t have to remain barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen.
Again, our women have proven that they can do it when given the chance. Mrs MaShange Dlamini of Umbumbulu, realising that she and her classmates had no classroom in their immediate neighbourhood, went to the forest to collect sticks (izintingo), baked mud bricks and built a classroom for Masifundisane. The group named their learning site, Siyawela (we are crossing the river)! Need we say more! Other women have followed Mrs Dlamini and have now built similar classrooms that are suitable and close to home. At other Masifundisane sites women classes organised themselves as support and care groups in their immediate communities.
Our women are innovators. We are all familiar with the African proverb that says: to educate a boy is to educate an individual, but to educate a girl is to educate a whole nation. We are particularly pleased that Masifundisane is developing learning families, parents and grandparents who are able to support learners to perform better at school; parents who have been empowered to participate in school governance matters. If you want to break free from the shackles of illiteracy, get the details from the helpdesk outside.
Financial literacy
There is a strong relationship between financial literacy, general adult literacy, skills levels, employment status, income and socio-economic status. Improved financial literacy through the delivery of financial education programmes is viewed as an important tool for poverty alleviation. Educated consumers also improve the working of the market and constitute a market for financial products.
I strongly believe that the Provincial Treasury has a major role to play in promoting financial literacy in KwaZulu-Natal. Financial literary, which includes saving, is at very low and almost insignificant levels in South Africa. I agree with Minister Pravin Gordhan that not enough has been done in the areas of financial education and economic literacy for South Africans.
Provincial Treasury cannot give you money. But we are willing to assist with training. Be it workshops to inform you about cash flow management or explaining how tender and other procedures work or how to register on the database and how the supply chain of government works; we are here to support you. We have staff members at the Treasury help desk to assist you with any queries of how to do business with government, how to start a cooperative, etc.
Financial literacy for vulnerable groups
In our joint outreach today we want to assist and support women with specific challenges. We want to show our sisters how to do it for themselves. They say when you grow old you grow very strong. When you were young, you had to take your husband with you to the store to help you carry all the bags. Now you don’t need any help, you carry all the bags yourself!
Unfortunately as we all know, this has nothing to do with strength but all with the rising food prices. What you can buy with R100 today can probably fit into one bag instead of the five bags or 10 bags when you were young! Pensioners face a particularly tough financial challenge. You have to cope with a smaller income and live with higher inflation over the long term.
Adding to the challenge are unforeseen circumstances that may not allow you to enjoy your money after working hard for so many years. HIV/AIDS has a devastating financial impact on individuals and households, where even the most careful financial planning may not suffice if it does not make provision to deal with the impact of frequent and debilitating illnesses associated with HIV/Aids. Instead of being looked after by their children, many grandmothers must now raise their grand children. In the Ilembe district 47,5 percent of households have been affected by HIV/AIDS (Global Insight).
It's hard enough to plan family finances in normal circumstances, but what happens when you're a woman suddenly left alone by the death of a spouse. Recent statistics of the Ilembe district municipality, contrary to the provincial picture, show that more women outlived their spouses. Many widows usually relied entirely on their partner for making financial decisions. Also depending on other people are our women who are physically, intellectually or mentally challenged.
Social grants
The social grants provided by government have certainly put some food on the table. The total number of grant beneficiaries in Ilembe increased by 7 percent from August 2008 to August 2009. Most of the grants paid are child support and old age grants. However, some women and men, who are entitled to these grants don’t get them, either because of a lack of information or some crucial documents such as birth certificates are missing. To assist you in this regard our partners from Home Affairs, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), are here with us. Please visit their help desks.
Help desk: Maintenance court and justice
“What would happen to my children right now if I died?” is a thought that troubles many widows. If there is no plan, especially a legal one, you need to get legal aid. If you cannot afford to pay a lawyer or pay extensive court fees, you have the following options:
* Legal Aid Board
* Legal Aid Bureau
* Legal Resources Centre
* a university law faculty
To assist our women with issues, such as creating wills and maintenance issues, representatives from the Department of Justice are also here with us today.
Financial planning
While government assists with grants and free advice, it is essential for our women to plan your financial future
* Make a list of your regular bills and how much they cost you each month. If you are not sure where the money is going, keep a spending diary. Make a note of everything you spend, even if it is 50 cents for an apple.
* Once you know exactly on what your money is spent, you can start trimming on the unnecessary. Calculate what money you will have coming in and how much you need. Then figure out what changes you will have to make to live within your new limits. Get your children involved in some of these decisions. It will make them feel like they’re helping you, and it’s a good way to teach them about money.
* Don’t let your children bully you into buying them expensive brand clothes that you cannot afford. That is why it is important that you let them be part of the budgeting process.
* Public schools cannot deny a child education because his or her parents cannot afford to pay school fees. Orphans are automatically exempted but guardians must inform the school that the child is an orphan. If you cannot afford your child’s school fees, apply for either partial or full exemption and show the school proof of your income.
* Sometimes you can still spend on the things you enjoy by getting better value for money. They say information is a consumer’s best friend. Some stores have special pensioner’s days where you get discount if you shop there when you are a pensioner. Buying in bulk is often cheaper, ask friends to share if you cannot use everything.
* Some widows get a lump of money after their spouse dies. This gives one an opportunity to be in control of your financial future. Don’t pay the hospital bill or house off right away. Assess your needs by figuring out how much you need every month to meet your housing, food, utilities and any other necessities. After you have established the cost of your basic needs, figure out what your income will be and what to do with the lump sum. Will you start a small business? Invest the money? Keep the money and get a job if you don’t have one?
* Be particular when it comes to money. Don't just trust anyone with your money. Be sceptical of friends, salespeople and even of family members. DON’T GIVE OUT YOUR PIN NUMBER of your bank card to anyone, unless you can trust him or her with your life.
* Be aware of loan sharks. Do not let your family members get you into trouble by borrowing money from these people. If you start borrowing money to pay debt you are in big trouble. It is heart breaking to see how some loan sharks will wait in their vehicles at the pension points to ensure see that their clients pay them first. With the excessive interest they have to pay they immediately have to borrow more money. Talk about being caught in a debt trap!
* Find a financial adviser you can trust. If a person has a degree or financial background it does not mean that he or she can be trusted. Widows report how men start buttering them up and courting them while they were still grieving. Many of these people call themselves ‘financial advisors’ but they only want their claws on you and your children’s money.
* Ask. This is a learning experience, so if you need help, ask. Good honest business people and people who understand finances, such as the bank, are a good place to start and remember the sooner the better. Become money wise.
* It is always better to pay cash for an item than to sign a loan instalment agreement. Be careful of hire purchase. You end up paying thrice the price for the item. A real example is of a widow, who signed a contract with a furniture store to pay for a bed over two years. The cost of the bed was R3 000. She agreed to pay back R404 per month. Some quick calculations: If she paid R404 for 24 months (two years) she would have paid pay R9 696 in the end. The initial cost of the bed was R3 000. She paid R6 696 extra. She could have bought three beds with that money! This brings us to the importance of saving.
Saving
If the widow had saved the R404 monthly, she would have been able to buy the bed within eight months. Being able to pay cash she would also have been in a position to ask for a discount. Another option was to go the lay by route if the store agreed; she could have paid the store monthly while the bed was kept for her. Why do you have to pay so much when you take the bed immediately? Because the store has to borrow money to pay the manufacturer; it is expensive to borrow money, not only for the store owner and for you but also for the country.
If government does not receive enough money to build new schools, hospitals, pay salaries, etc. South Africa must go and borrow money. This is now happening as a result of the current recession. But when you borrow money, you have to pay interest. This means that you have to pay back more money than what you have borrowed. South Africa has a low savings rate which, means very few people are saving. When we compare ourselves to our neighbouring countries we score lower than many of them.
Short terms projects
The more money you borrow, the more you pay back. That is why it is always better to buy cash. But very few people have R3 000 in their pockets and that is why we must start saving for the rainy days. That is why we must put money aside for the times we will need big sums of money. It can be for a child’s education; to buy a bed or a fridge or a cow; or a deposit on a house or a motor car or you want to start your own small business.
Unexpected events
We also need to save money for unexpected events. Sometimes someone in your family dies and you need transport to go to the funeral or you want to contribute towards the costs of the funeral.
Long term projects
But we also have to save for old age, even when we are still young. The secret of saving is to start the habit of saving when you are very young. Teach your children to save. Then they are taking ownership of their own future. You don’t need to have lots of money to save. There is a saying; when you look after the cents the rands will look after themselves, meaning if someone takes care not to waste small amounts of money, they will accumulate capital.
Saving tips
Group saving
I know of a group of women who started a stokvel two years ago with an idea to open their own business one day. For two years each of them put R25 per month in the savings pot. This gave them enough money to buy a small marquee tent and plastic chairs, which they now hire out for funerals. By saving as a group you can help each other to learn financial skills. You can also ask people, who are good at money and understand finances to give you some training.
But for stokvels to be successful there are sets of rules to follow:
* Group members must know and trust each other.
* It is best to keep the group small (eight to 15 people), which allows face to face discussions.
* Group members must have a common goal.
* A treasurer must be appointed to bank the money.
* A different person must keep records of all the payments.
* Bank deposit slips must be shown to everyone.
* Don’t divide the money in December; you will all spend it on ‘nice to haves’ and when January comes when there uniforms to be bought and other important items nobody will have money.
Individual saving
* If you end up getting child support grants for your children or grand children and don’t need to use the money for daily necessities; start a college savings plan for the children. Alternatively you may want to set up a guardianship or trust account for your children to receive their benefits.
* Always try to save a fixed monthly amount even if it is R10 at the beginning of the month, instead of saving whatever remains at the end of each month.
* Save, save, save money whenever you get some. If you save 10 cents of every R1 that has been given to you, you will soon have rands and no longer cents. Remember that saying that when you look after the cents the rands will look. after themselves
* Don’t buy something you do not need. There are needs and wants. A need is something you cannot live without. A want is a nice to have.
* Start discussions with your family about different ways you can save as a family.
* Let your children make sandwiches the night before to take to school the following day, rather than buying something at school. You can put anything on the bread, even a spoonful of spinach or potatoes that was left of dinner. It is not only cheaper but also healthier.
* Start your own vegetable garden and to keep chickens. Then you don’t even have to buy spinach or eggs.
* You can also save by giving, not just out of generosity but also by agreement to receive the favour back when needed. For example; you can offer to help your neighbour to plant or harvest his vegetables but by doing this you expect him or her to help you when you need to plant or harvest.
Food security
In his state of the province address Premier Zweli Mkhize said we will focus on agriculture as the platform from which we will launch our campaign to fight poverty and build our economy. Not so long ago we launched the One Home One Garden project in Nkandla. It is encouraging to see that about 50 percent of the land in Ilembe is already used for permanent or temporary cultivation. Let us build on this. At the very least our children should not go hungry. From a commercial farming view, Ilembe is well situated to benefit from the new airport. Not only will the new airport bring in tourists but it will also open up opportunities to export perishables such as vegetables, flowers, etc.
Women in business
Our preferential procurement system, which gives bonus points to companies owned by women when tenders are awarded, is probably government’s most well known incentive. A good example of how this system has helped previously marginalised women are the success stories of some of the women contractors who ware appointed in 2004 to help the provincial Department of Education with the building of classrooms, toilets and other infrastructure.
The Fast Track programme, using emerging contractors from the pool of youth and women entrepreneurs, was introduced in addition to the normal infrastructure programme. The small contractors were given the opportunity to grow from GB 1 of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) rating to GB5, enabling them to compete with construction giants such as Murray and Roberts and Group Five in the construction industry.
This programme has really been a success story and many women are now running sustainable enterprises and tendering for big contracts due to their upgraded CIDB ratings. It is important to realise that while women are given preferential treatment when it comes to the awarding of tenders they must also step up and deliver an equal service. Government wants value for money and you will be hearing this more and more. Value for money entails–in addition to the cost of goods and services-quality, resource use, fitness for purpose, timeliness and convenience.
You must ask yourself: “are the people happy with my product or service?” Quality of service is crucial if you want to sustain your business. When the roof of a classroom or house blows off with the first wind because the contractor did not use the specified nails which should be of a certain length, we will certainly not use that contractor again. Look after your reputation; it is crucial so secure the next job, whether it is in government or in the private sector.
So much has been done for women empowerment and we are getting support from all spheres. But we as women must use those opportunities. We must find business, business will not find us. All departments and municipalities have gender desks. Contact them – find out what projects the departments and municipalities are planning. Get more detail from the relevant departments on their strategies to procure services through cooperatives and small business. Put out your feelers and contact people to find out what are the wants and needs of the different markets. Speak to our Ilembe district partners who are here with us today.
Touch base with the local chambers’ women empowerment desks. They often offer workshops and training free of charge. Learn from other people in the industry and network. If you don’t network, your business will not grow. Cooperatives and small businesses are assisted through credit schemes to grow their operations using financial development institutions (FDIs) such as Ithala, to ensure sustainability. But before you register a cooperative, make sure that you and your partners have the same interests and a common goal. Make sure that you know and trust each other, that your product or service will be sustainable. Our partner of the Department of Economic Development is also here to give you advice on cooperatives and financial assistance.
Tribute
Lastly I want to pay tribute to our sisters. True heroism is remarkably sober, very non dramatic. Arthur Ashe, the first African American Tennis Player to win a Grand Slam event, said that true heroism is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. “Each word of hope or council, each sorrow that she shares, each comfort that she offers, is a mother’s silent prayer”. (Sally de Ford)
I salute the women of KwaZulu-Natal.
Power to women, power to all!
Issued by: Department of Treasury, KwaZulu-Natal provincial Government
27 August 2009
