During the Women’s Month Emalahleni Local Municipality celebrated women in fashion as they were gathered in Indwe where all relevant sectors in business development were invited to capacitate women who are already in business and those that envisage becoming business women in cooperatives. This day was driven by the theme “Working together to enhance women’s opportunities to economic empowerment”
This was a programme initiated by the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism where collaboration was in practice as the Department of Home Affairs, Social Development, Health, South African Police Services, Department of Local and Traditional Affairs represented by the Community Development Workers, Elitheni Coal mine, South African Revenue Services were all participating.
Cooperatives that are already in existence were given an opportunity to exhibit their works.
The Mayor for Emalahleni Local Municipality Councillor Nomveliso Nyukwana when welcoming the attendees said “Women must Say No to being undermined. She further expatiates the term UMFAZI and said it means we have got a lot of knowledge. As women we have got nothing but brains”. “We need to work together as women as in the olden days women were sharing food to feed their family. As women in cooperatives we need to be selfless and have a common goal that will never been defeated”
“We are here today to promote and encourage having a common goal when developing ourselves and let us not fight for leadership positions but move towards achieving our goal. In China one of the pillars of their success is to go back to the basics and use what is already at their disposal. They ensure that before they may ask for help they are able to produce using what they already have”.
“We are here to share knowledge and information and as such we are the correct group of people as if you want something to be known tell a women and she will communicate it to those it need to be communicated”. This is a day well appreciated by Emalahleni Local Municipality but it is not a day where we will sit down but a day where we will ensure that its beauty had similar outcomes”, she said.
Ms Phendulwa Guma of the Provincial Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Special Programmes Unit said on a purpose of the day as the Department they have a unit which is dealing with programmes for people with disability, women, youth and elderly. She said, “Now that this the women’s month they see it proper to ensure that they take services to the people as all the relevant sectors and institutions are on site to give information and services. And all those present here today will leave their contact details so that if any of you may encounter challenges in the near future can just contact us”.
Presentations were done by the women formations representatives that were present this day to set the pace and target for other women i.e Local Business Forum and Emalahleni Women’s Forum. Questions and comments were taken from the floor to seek the way forward as not all the activities that were suppose to have been attended had enough time and it was agreed that the Municipal Local Economic Development Section led by Ms Linda Dziba will coordinate another section.
