SA minister advises women to explore their surroundings for development

 

THE Minister for Department of Small Business Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu, has advised women to explore and make good use of their surrounding opportunities to contribute in the socio-economic development of their respective countries.

Ms Zulu made the call in Durban on Thursday at the Essence Festival: Women Economic Empowerment, citing that women need to participate in the mainstream economy.

“As women of South Africa, we had agreed that nothing without us was possible, therefore we have to stand up and fight for ourselves.

“This resulted to a push in the 50 per cent of women representation by the government in key decision making structures and that’s why today we are almost everywhere,” said Ms Zulu. She called for more women’s support once they have climbed the ladder of development.

The Mayor of Ethekwini Municipality, Ms Cllr Zandile Gumede, expressed appreciation to the organizers of the on-going Essence Festival Durban, for incorporating the segment on women empowerment. Ms Gumede noted the move aimed at creating platforms for women to share businesses and learn more from the global communities.

‘The majority of the African women are facing challenges on poverty, discrimination and all forms of gender based violence, it is high time we breakthrough such ceilings, ‘ noted Ms Zandile. Women empowerment is not about fighting men but rather it is on encouraging women to rise up and fight for their rights.

“As women, we must support one another by working together, sharing experience in boosting the small medium business enterprises,” pointed out the mayor.

Vice-President of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ms Vani Moodley, said women needed to demonstrate high competency and high quality products and say no to substandard ones. “We should stop walking the journey of others and start doing enough to make sure we are on the streams of information.

Nothing will come to knock on our doors; we should strive for it,” charged Ms Moodley