Johannesburg - Despite significant advances toward having more women in upper structures of leadership, a strong call has been made at the ANC conference to promote the economic empowerment of women.
It has been revealed that women make up 46% of all members of the ANC's National Assembly.
The ANC has stated that they have set a target of 40% of public procurement for women-owned and managed businesses, though progress toward this goal varies by department.
These efforts are supported by training programmes for women-owned businesses to qualify for government tender processes.
There are also various initiatives to direct financial support to women-owned businesses and specific efforts to ensure women’s access to land, housing, and public employment opportunities.
“One of the aims and objectives of the ANC is to support and advance the cause of women’s emancipation. We have made significant advances. It is largely thanks to the ANC’s policy that 46% of all National Assembly members are women. For the first time, half of all cabinet ministers are women. Out of 256 judges on the bench, 114 are women, and nearly half of all magistrates are women,” revealed the party in the report delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“Currently, 62% of the entire public service is female, and 44% of senior management posts are filled by women. We still have some way to go before we achieve equality in representation across all institutions in our society. Most notable among the challenges that impede the pursuit of gender equality is the economic position of women.“
The Star