Mpumalanga government advocates for women empowerment: Premier

The Mpumalanga provincial government has expressed its commitment to women empowerment, highlighting that 46% of key strategic positions are held by women. Premier Mandla Ndlovu made this announcement during the Mpumalanga Women's Parliament in Arceloek. However, women present at the event expressed concerns that the current representation is still below the government's target.

Ndlovu assured the audience of the government's resolve to advocate for women empowerment and also stated that they have agreed to prioritize businesswomen by giving out government tenders to them. While the current percentage of women in business stands at 36%, the government aims to increase this to 50%, though they acknowledge that this target is still a baseline.

Women parliamentarians attending the event are hopeful that the issues raised will be addressed by the provincial government. They noted that despite repeated instances where only certain individuals receive tenders, they continue to face challenges in accessing these opportunities. The women, who are heads of families, emphasized their struggles in obtaining tenders and expressed their confidence in the Parliament to resolve their matters. Each issue raised was assigned to an MEC responsible for addressing them.