L Hendricks: Women in Water, Sanitation and Forestry Awards

31 August 2007

Deputy Ministers
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and
Forestry
Ambassadors
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Eskom
Finalists
Programme Director
Honourable guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

I welcome everyone to this special occasion tonight where we celebrate and
honour remarkable women for their excellent work in the Water, Sanitation and
Forestry Sectors. During this Women's Month of August there are a number of
events for women held across the country and in many different sectors. These
events are aimed at supporting and encouraging greater involvement of women in
the respective sectors. Through these events we recognise and award excellence
and thereby inspire women to achieve new heights and become role models for
others.

What is important for all of these sectors is that space is created for
women in what were typically male dominated areas. Since 1994 women have
increasingly been occupying that space and are making their voices heard. The
challenges that we as women face today to be accepted as equals by our male
colleagues remain huge. It therefore becomes necessary for us to support and
create opportunities for other women in the sectors in which we work.

Economists talk about a 'zero sum game,' which implies that in order for one
person to get ahead they must force someone out. However, other approaches
argue that if you allow in new entrants; rather than forcing out the old
players, new opportunities are created, which results in expansion and more
people benefiting. When we talk about Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment
(BBBEE) we emphasise that the overall benefits to the economy will result from
increasing the number of black people that will be able to participate in the
mainstream economy. The sustained economic growth we have experienced since
1994 has proven this approach to be correct. The same logic applies to women
empowerment.

Ensuring equal opportunities for women and girls at all levels and all
spheres requires that we acknowledge existing gender disparities and take
appropriate, positive differentiation to bridge the gender gaps. South Africa
is moving slowly from a patriarchal society to one in which women are
encouraged to take their rightful place as equals alongside men. The National
Water Act, 1998 requires government to address the issues of gender inequity in
water as much as it must address inequity arising from race or disability. It
has been shown by international and local experience that human development and
poverty eradication initiatives are greatly enhanced by the involvement of
women in water resources management.

Private sector opportunities

Programme Director, with the growth in our economy a great deal of space has
been created for new entrants, women and men, black and white, these private
sector opportunities are also relevant for the water, sanitation and forestry
sectors. Through our Forestry Sector Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment
Charter there is specific recognition of women participation in all the
elements of the score-card, the implication of which is that women should form
part of the empowerment deals, benefit from skills development, management
opportunities and employment equity, as well as procurement and enterprise
development.

In water and sanitation Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) has
also committed itself to ensuring that our procurement expenditure is in line
with government targets for BEE and we have been very successful in that
regard, however we are falling short in the area of procurement from women
empowered enterprises an issue that we are dealing with as a matter of
priority. We are now looking at how we can involve women in construction,
particularly for the sanitation sector where we have a massive task of
providing sanitation to over 3,7 million households.

There are also huge opportunities for women in our large scale
infrastructure projects where we have set targets for the primary contractors
to ensure that women empowered enterprises access at least 30% of the
contracts. Another area of opportunity for women enterprises is in the massive
roll out of water services, where in partnership with municipalities and other
players, we are working towards eliminating the backlog of people who do not
have access to clean water.

Capacity to deliver

Ladies and gentlemen, concurrent to us increasing the scope and
opportunities for women in water, sanitation and forestry, we must also
increase the capacity of women so that they are in a position to take advantage
of these opportunities. In forestry my department has undertaken a number of
initiatives to build the capacity of women in the sector; these initiatives
include training women on Forestry legislation, compliance and Participatory
Forestry Management.

We have also been providing support for beekeeping, nursery development and
management, as well as training in greening, pole processing, and charcoal
making. Through our Arbour Week and tree planting campaign opportunities will
be created for development of community nurseries which I am very excited
about. Eight female students have also been allocated bursaries by my
department this year while pursuing their Forestry academic qualifications.
Likewise in the sanitation and water sector we are building capacity of women
by providing training in construction and project management. We have also
established a learning academy that is empowering young graduates with relevant
skills in the water sector.

Water for growth and development

Ladies and gentlemen, through the provision of basic services and new
infrastructure we are not only providing a basic necessity and social
upliftment but we are also contributing towards the economic growth of the
country. In providing these basic services I believe we are investing in our
people�s future and creating the prospect of a better life. In addition,
through our infrastructure projects we are unlocking industries such as mining
that require water in order to operate. Such investments are very much linked
to broader efforts to increase the levels of economic growth in our country as
part of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative South Africa (AsgiSA).

There is a need to appreciate that the imbalances of the past are still
prevalent in the Water Sector. The distribution and access to water resources
for black farmers remains skewed and uneven and is being addressed under our
Water Allocation Reform programme with access to water contributing to
unlocking opportunities for emerging farmers.

Conclusion

To conclude, ladies and gentlemen, at last years awards I announced our
intention to create an organisation to support the establishment of an
organisation for women in water, sanitation and forestry. Work on establishing
this organisation is ongoing and forms part of the women empowerment strategy
that my department is in the process of developing for the sector. Such an
organisation would play a role in identifying opportunities for women and
supporting their entry into this sector.

I have made a personal commitment to ensure that women are firmly in the
driving seat in forestry, water and sanitation not only as recipients of basic
services, but as empowered owners of their own enterprises in providing goods
and services to these sectors. My department has long committed itself not only
to the delivery of water, sanitation and forestry services, but to ensuring
that we mainstream gender in these processes, to ensure that women can benefit
optimally from the development opportunities.

Finally, I would like to thank the adjudicators for your involvement and for
giving of your valuable time and knowledge to assist in this process. I would
also like to thank our sponsors for their generous support and for their
contribution to empowerment of women. I hope that all of us are inspired by our
winners and are prepared to create the space for women in your respective
spheres and take forward gender mainstreaming more actively.

Please enjoy this evening of celebration with us.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
31 August 2007