programme for women in construction
4 July 2006
Fifty years ago thousands of women marched on the Union Buildings in
Pretoria to demand their democratic rights. Their demands fell on deaf ears as
the South African Prime Minister refused to see them.
But the women of South Africa did not give up. They fought side by side with
their male compatriots for their freedom.
But today, 12 years into our democracy, while women might have the vote,
millions of them still do not enjoy economic freedom. The construction industry
is a prime example of an industry that has struggled to transform itself into
one that is more gender representative.
Today I want to announce an intervention that will make it easier for women
to enter the construction industry.
Among other things, my department is targeting women for contracts worth at
least R112 million for road construction and maintenance and public works
projects.
We will transform the construction industry as far as government contracts
in the Western Cape are concerned to accelerate the entry and development of
women.
Competition - Western Cape Construction Woman of the Year
I also want to announce the launch of an annual competition in the Western
Cape to find the Construction Woman of the Year in the following categories;
entry level, middle level and experienced level. The winner in each of these
categories will be announced at a gala dinner scheduled to be held on 21
August.
The gala dinner will form part of a construction summit to be hosted by this
department to discuss the implications of the Construction Charter for the
Western Cape.
I want to add that the Western Cape Cabinet has resolved that the Department
of Transport and Public Works will be the key path breaker for economic growth
in our province. We believe that maximum growth will not be possible while
women are unable to enter the construction industry as equals. Thus we are
serious about our interventions.
We call on all women to seriously think about entering an industry that has
up to now, been seen as the domain of men. We call on women to take their
rightful place in the industry and not allow them to be used as fronts or as
window dressing for bigger companies.
The mindset that the construction industry is one for men only must change.
We also call on males in the industry not to feel threatened as there�s enough
room for men and women.
Now let me deal with the changes.
As I have said in total my department is targeting women for contracts worth
at least R112 million for road construction and maintenance and public works
projects. I want to stress the fact that, because women are targeted, this does
not mean that they do not have to compete for these contracts.
Let�s talk about the different sectors:
* Roads Infrastructure Sector
The road infrastructure sector is of particular concern regarding women�s
participation. In the 2004/2005 financial year women-owned companies got only
about five percent of the total value of projects (R24,6 million out of R578,8
million).
Over the next three years this percentage will be significantly increased to
at least 15 percent.
Seeing that no less than 57,5 percent of the Department of Roads and Public
Work�s 2006/7 budget will be spent on roads infrastructure (an amount of R1.187
billion), it is clear that women�s contribution in this sector will be
significantly accelerated.
The department aims to target women for 25 percent of all road maintenance
contracts (R60 million). Women will also be targeted for at least 10 percent of
road construction contracts (R40 million).
* Public Works Sector
Four years ago our public works sector initiated the Mamas Special Projects.
These projects were awarded to women-owned contracting companies. In the rounds
one and two of the Mamas Special Projects R19 million of building maintenance
projects was awarded to women-owned businesses.
For the third round we will allocate 30 new confirmed projects worth at
least R12 million to businesses wholly- or partially-owned by women. These
contracts range in value from R130 000 to R1.6 million. Tenders for some of
these jobs are due go out by the weekend.
We want to stress that women�s participation is not limited to the Mamas
Special Projects. The participation of women-owned businesses has shown a
steady growth in our Public Works sector since we began the Mamas Special
Projects. In fact, the percentage of women-owned companies awarded projects by
the department has been over 50 percent for the last two years.
* Community Based Public Works
The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) unit of the Department of
Transport and Public Works, under the banner of the Zenzele Road Maintenance
programme will target women for 60 percent of its community-based road
maintenance programmes. These labour intensive projects will be defined and
implemented by 1 August 2006.
Will women be up to the task?
We are aware of the problems that those women who win contracts will face,
thus we have built into our intervention a mentorship plan through our
contractor development programme and existing partnerships with Standard Bank
and ABSA.
We are also in discussions with the Construction Industry Development Board
(CIDB) on the establishment of regional help desks for contractors and a joint
programme to assist emerging contractors in accelerating their development and
grading.
As there will also be a focus on the entry level contractors, we need to
ensure that big projects are sufficiently unbundled so as to ensure a
manageable learning curve for these women.
Bursaries
We are concerned about the shortage of engineers, architects and other
construction related professionals in the Western Cape. Over the next three
years we will award 250 bursaries to students for tertiary studies in these
fields. We have budgeted an amount of R21 million for these bursaries.
During this current financial year we have awarded 125 bursaries. Forty one
of the fulltime bursary holders or 32 percent are women. We want to grow the
percentage of women bursary holders significantly. We therefore want more women
to apply.
Issued by: Department of Transport and Public Works, Western Cape Provincial
Government
4 July 2006
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