Ambitious plans are being undertaken by the South African government to ensure that women are fully included in the economy and that gender equality is realised, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
He spelled these out in his weekly letter, published just after Women’s Day.
Commenting on a United Nations’ initiative for gender equality, the Generation Equality Forum, the president highlighted four commitments that his government had made.
The first was that economic inclusion would be driven through public procurement, with 40% of procurement to be made from women-owned enterprises.
The second was that support would be increased for women-owned small and medium enterprises, including for women who work in the informal sector.
The third was that women would be given access to ‘productive assets such as land’, and would benefit from land reform.
The fourth was that increased protection from gender-based violence in the workplace would be granted to women. The International Labour Organisation’s Convention on Violence and Harassment in the Workplace would be ratified.
IRR analysts say it remains to be seen just how effective this will prove to be. For example, it is not entirely clear how many women-owned firms exist in the country, and how many of those are in a position to engage with public procurement at a scale sufficient to account for as much as 40% of procurement.
[Picture: Pablo Valerio from Pixabay]