Women decry male dominance in construction sector

Women in the construction sector in the Eastern Cape say male dominance in the industry is concerning.

They accuse government of favouring men when it comes to development in the sector.

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala met with women in this industry in an effort to unblock the bottlenecks which prevents their growth in the sector.

Women believe government is not implementing policies to help them grow in the sector.

They claim key construction projects are being awarded to their male counterparts. The provincial chairperson of the SA Women in Construction and Building, Nomfuneko Bojana-Matshoba, has urged government to give attention to this during Women’s Month.

“They put all the contractors in the pool but there is no movement, no contractors are given the chance to bid or given the opportunity to grow from grade one to the upper grades they are just in the pool. We want the minister to ensure that programs are revived so that they can grow the participation of women”

Minister Zikalala says plans are in place to cut the red tape to ensure women are not left behind in this industry.

“We have instructed the Construction Development Board that there is a training that is dedicated for women. From that instruction already close to 200 women have been registered to the program in training those companies that are in level one up until level six.”

Zikalala’s visit to the province forms part of the Presidential Imbizo which will be held in Tsomo.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to inspect a number of service delivery related projects in the area.