at the launch of the Faranani Rural Women's Training Initiative
23 May 2007
Programme Director, Shirley Machaba
Ekurhuleni Metro Mayor and Salga-Gauteng Duma Nkosi
Ms Doreen Nkosi from the Office of the Deputy President
PwC Director, Mohamed Saboor
PwC Director, Sakhile Masuku
PwC Associate Director, Skalo Dikana
Ogivyl and Mather CSR Board Member, Nunu Ntshingila
Phetolo Solutions CEO, Nelly Mosiane
Dr Sam Motsuenyane
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
The birth of democracy in 1994, the first-ever democratically elected
government in South Africa has strived to ensure that the empowerment of women
becomes a priority. Today I am proud to have the opportunity to be a part of
the launch of the Faranani Rural Women Training initiative, which shows the
commitment from private sector to partner with government in this endeavour of
helping the advancement of women's empowerment.
According to the late Professor Frederick Harbison of Princeton University
"Human resources constitute the ultimate basis for the wealth of nations.
Capital and natural resources are passive factors of production, human beings
are the active agents who accumulate capital, exploit natural resources, build
social, economic and political organisations and carry forward national
development. Clearly, a country which is unable to develop the skills and
knowledge of its people and to utilise them effectively in the national economy
will be unable to develop anything else."
Pricewaterhouse Coopers, together with the National Industrial Chamber,
established the Business Skills for South Africa in 1992. The main goal of this
was to provide business and entrepreneurial skills to previously disadvantaged
communities in order for them to create employment and generate an income. From
this initial establishment, Pricewaterhouse Coopers have gone one step further,
by extending this wonderful initiative to rural women in business through the
project we are all gathered here today for the Faranani Rural Women Training
Initiative. It puts my mind at ease to know that there are companies out there
like Pricewaterhouse Coopers who share the same vision as government when it
comes to the upliftment of women in South Africa and who believe that by
nurturing a culture of entrepreneurship amongst women, this in turn helps to
empower these women to generate their own income and become meaningful
contributors to the South Africa economy.
The women of this country play a pivotal role in the reconstruction and
development of South Africa. They are seen as the backbone of the South African
economy as they make significant contribution in helping it grow. However,
women still face many obstacles in society when measured up against men and the
different roles that the two genders play and are often expected to portray.
Patriarchy can still be seen in communities, especially disadvantaged, where
the men are perceived as being breadwinners and women have to stand down and
fulfil a homemaker role. As a society, we therefore need to embrace a new
culture that encompasses women in the working world. Men need to be sensitised
to woman as equal breadwinners, allowing them the freedom and support to pursue
these careers without ostracising them from the world of work.
Through the Faranani Initiative women are trained and skilled on different
topics that will enable them to become entrepreneurs. As is recognised by our
government, one of the measures by which to ensure women's full participation
in the South African economy is through the improvement of education levels of
women, together with increasing their access to economic and social
information. The access to information is crucial in the empowerment of women
which in turn enables women to become economically sustainable. When we empower
women with information, it gives them the opportunity and self-confidence to
strive towards achieving their goals, enabling them to enter the economic
market and be on the same level as those around them.
Programme Director, It is good to know that Pricewaterhouse Coopers are
following some of the programmes introduced by government to address the
deep-seated inequalities and target the marginalised poor to bridge the gap
with the Second Economy, and ultimately to eliminate the Second Economy. This
initiative is known as the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South
Africa (AsgiSA). AsgiSA's goal is that of halving unemployment and poverty by
2014. For us to realise this goal, particular attention must be paid to the
concerns of women and youth. With regard to women, the focus is on expanding
and accelerating access to economic opportunities including skills development
and finance, which is what Pricewaterhouse Coopers is currently also striving
towards in their own capacity.
Ladies and gentlemen, small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) play a
major role in the lives of many South Africans. For most households where a
member owns a SMME, it is the major source of income for that family. For the
majority of entrepreneurs, SMMEs constitutes the leading source of household
income. Often, the income generated from an SMME is used to supplement another
household income. This substantiates the fact that people are implementing
multiple livelihoods as a survival strategy, which makes the launch of the
Faranani initiative that much more imperative.
Women often resort to forming SMMEs due to being forced to do so. Being
unemployed and having to provide for a family thrust many untrained and
unskilled people into starting up a business without the necessary skills and
qualifications to ensure its success. Together with that, the institutional
support available to aid and assist up and coming entrepreneurs is limited and
few and far between. Women who enter into a business venture without the proper
background and skills create serious problems for the viability of that
business venture. With the help of this initiative, those women who aim to
become entrepreneurs will gain invaluable knowledge and make a success of their
empowerment as entrepreneurs, giving them the ability to generate income and so
support families.
However, caution needs to be taken with any type of initiative embarked on,
as they still face obstacles to their potential role as a major economic and
social force in their participation in our economy. Among the problems which
constrain the development of women's entrepreneurial activities and their
potential to exercise more influence over their living conditions are:
* their excessive workload. Despite the efforts of rural women to combine
income-generating activities with unpaid household responsibilities, the burden
of work forms a considerable constraint (in terms of time, mobility and energy)
at the expense of their health, well-being and productivity.
* the difficultly they face in accessing the key factors of production-land,
water, credit, capital and appropriate technologies. It is far easier for men
to access these inputs.
* the lack of training opportunities and of appropriate information, extension
and advisory services available to them. These relate to, for example,
functional literacy, accounting, bookkeeping, business management and
agricultural technologies.
In addition, there are more general constraints, such as poor and
inefficient storage, transport and marketing mechanisms which have the effect
of reducing profit margins. However, I am pleased to say that with the help of
the Faranani initiative, some of these obstacles can be overcome by the rural
women of South Africa through their training and development initiative.
Ladies and gentlemen, we as South Africans need to focus on de-mystifying
the traditional roles played and held by women. New avenues need to be explored
and created, where women are given the opportunity to enter into markets
traditionally dominated by males. Opportunities in South Africa should have no
gender boundaries, all citizens should have access to equal shares of possible
gains to be made. I would like to state that education and training is the key
to unlocking the economic energies of women and therefore we need to pay
adequate attention to this specific challenge. In addition, institutional
barriers such as limited financial access needs to be addressed in conjunction
with creating a greater scope for women to gain access to specifically
government funding.
"Most economists argue that it is the human resources of a nation, not its
physical capital or its natural resources, that ultimately determine the
character and pace of its economic and social development." This is a process
of transformation and I am certain that it will bring meaningful and
sustainable changes in our society, from people's perspectives and beliefs,
down to the actual proof that the rural women in our society can make a
difference. Government agencies must ensure that these women have access to
markets at home and abroad, because without these markets this training will be
a waste of time.
One of the challenges facing women is the HIV/Aids pandemic. HIV/Aids would
be defeated when the government, the private sector, non-governmental
organisations and international community work together. Over the years the
government has done a lot in addressing the scourge, I therefore urge
Pricewaterhouse Coopers to also throw their weight in dealing with the scourge.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Pricewaterhouse Coopers for your
endeavour and commitment in making a change to those women who will benefit
from your commitment in helping to address their levels of economic involvement
in our society. Without you on board to drive this initiative, many women would
still be caught up in the vicious cycle of poverty and deprivation.
"Educating women has been shown to be a critical ingredient in breaking the
vicious multigenerational cycle of poor child health, low educational
performance, low income and high fertility. Numerous studies have documented
that women education leads to lower infant mortality rates."
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Local Government, Gauteng Provincial
Government
23 March 2007
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.gautengonline.gov.za)
