P Mashatile: Gauteng Women's Economic Symposium

14 August 2007

Programme Director,
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Gauteng Shared Service Centre (GSSC), Mr
Mike Maile,
CEO of the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP), Mr David Morobe,
Senior managers from government institutions,
Distinguished guests,
Women of Gauteng

The 9th of August 1956 marked one of the most significant milestones in the
history of our country. This day represents the heroism displayed by the martyr
generation of Sophie de Bruyn, Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Amina Cachalia and
many other heroines of our country in the quest to build a just society. Over
the nine decades of its existence my organisation, the African National
Congress (ANC), has committed itself to building a society that is rooted in
the noble principles of democracy, non-racialism and non-sexism. As the ANC
government we continue to be guided by these principles in our ongoing
endeavour to build a better life for all.

In this regard, we will continue to act in a manner that ensures the
creation of a conducive environment for the social, political and economic
upliftment of women. We are therefore proud to say our decisions and actions
are consistent with the vision so clearly articulated by the 1956 generation of
women that marched on the Union Building. Going forward, we will continue to
work in partnership with the women of Gauteng to ensure that we respond
comprehensively to the challenges that lie ahead.

Malibongwe: igama lama Makhosikazi!

Programme Director, the Gauteng Provincial Government has taken a decision
to celebrate this year's Women's Month under the theme 'Making Gauteng a better
place for Women.' We did this cognisant of the challenges posed by our past,
but also committed to ensuring that we radically transform gender relations in
society to meet our objective of building a non-sexist society.

As we assemble in this symposium today, as government and as women in
business, we are demonstrating that ours is an enduring partnership, steeped in
the firm belief that the vision of building a better Gauteng remains a dream
unless we lift the majority of our women out of the indignity of poverty,
joblessness and underdevelopment. The presence of so many women entrepreneurs
here today is an indication of the bold step you have taken to also play your
part in ensuring that women become active participants in determining their
future.

We applaud you for this and encourage you to remain a loyal and dedicated
partner in our collective effort to advance the economic empowerment of women.
For our part as government, we remain committed to ensuring that we create an
environment where women and women-owned enterprises are able to flourish and
play a significant role in the economic mainstream. We will continue to make
targeted interventions aimed at expanding access to economic opportunities by
the women of Gauteng.

I encourage you to take the time today to engage with the leadership of the
various institutions of government represented here and make sure that they
give you all the information that you require to take your business ventures to
new heights. I am told that today the GSSC will share information and identify
high value tenders where women owned companies can play a meaningful role.
Please listen carefully and take advantage of these opportunities.

Within the public sector we are on course with the elevation of women to
positions of responsibility and leadership within the decision making
structures of Government. This is in line with the firm commitment we have made
that by 2009, 50% of those who occupy senior management positions in the public
sector should be women.

Ours is a commitment to build social cohesion where all sectors of society,
particularly women are able to realise their full potential in a just,
supportive and equitable system. This includes ensuring that:

* we further expand the access of our children to social grants, remove
corruption and fraud in this process and incorporate grants into a
comprehensive social security system
* strengthen our institutional capacity through institutions such as the GSSC
by ensuring they are better placed to deliver quality services to our
people
* acting in concert with social partners, to further articulate an
all-encompassing development framework leading to the attainment of the goals
of halving poverty and unemployment by 2014
* strengthen the work already underway to ensure that our education system
produces the skills that match the requirements of the economy, including the
increase in uptake, especially of girl children at all levels of the education
system
* intensify our work in the area of implementing focused sector strategies in
key growth and employment industries.

One of the strategic interventions we have made as part of our effort to
expand participation, including that of women, in the mainstream economy is the
launch and implementation of the provincial broad based black economic
empowerment (BBBEE) Strategy.

In terms of this strategy we seek to substantially increase the number of
black people, youth, women and people with disabilities that contribute to and
benefit from the provincial economy. In line with the targets we have set for
ourselves in the BBBEE Strategy, we are pleased to report that we are making
good progress in ensuring that by 2009:

* 70% of the Provincial Government's procurement is from BBBEE
companies
* 30% of government spend goes to companies who are small, medium or micro,
enterprises
* 30% of the goods procured by the Provincial Government are manufactured
locally
* and most pertinently that 30% of total procurement will be set aside for
women owned businesses.

Acting in partnership with the provincial government agencies we will
facilitate access by women to opportunities arising from the hosting of the
2010 Fifa World Cup. These include opportunities in the tourism, transport and
hospitality sectors. Women-owned enterprises are especially encouraged to
identify and take up opportunities that will arise from our hosting for the
next three years of the world's largest soccer exhibition, Soccerex.

Through the Gauteng Economic Development Agency, we will ensure that goods
produced by local women or women owned companies gain greater access to the
domestic and international markets. The Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, which we
have given a budget of R300 million over three years, will target more women
owned companies to ensure that they access to financial and non - financial
support.

Furthermore, we encourage women and women owned businesses to take advantage
of current and future Public, Private, Partnerships (PPP) projects within
Gauteng. These include work done to develop a Game Reserve in Dinokeng in the
Metsweding Region, further expansions at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage
Site, the Automotive Supplier Park and the OR Tambo International Industrial
Development Zone.

Over the next three years we will spend together with local government more
than R 50 billion to improve infrastructure across the province. This major
injection into the provincial economy will create numerous opportunities for
businesses in the construction and related industries, with a particular bias
to women owned enterprises. We will soon be announcing details of the Gauteng
Infrastructure Development Fund. This fund will assist us to leverage private
sector capital in the building of infrastructure across Gauteng. Through this
fund we will form partnerships with the private sector in order to undertake
major infrastructure projects in Gauteng. We encourage the private sector to
partner with us in this fund.

We assure the private sector that the projects that will be financed through
this Fund will be commercially viable, offering them a satisfactory return on
investment. As part of building Gauteng as a globally competitive City Region
we will proceed with our e - Government initiative which includes the
improvement of Broadband technology infrastructure through the Blue Umbrella
project.

The implementation of this project also holds numerous opportunities for
women owned businesses. In conclusion I wish to urge the current generation of
women to emulate that heroic generation of 1956 by seizing the many
opportunities presented to them. Like the generation of 1956, the women of
today have a responsibility to build a lasting legacy for future
generations.

Let us all join hands and continue building a better Gauteng for women.
Victory is within reach.

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Finance and Economic Affairs, Gauteng Provincial
Government
14 August 2007
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http:// www.gauteng.gov.za