The Commission for Gender Equality’s hearing into the transformation of the public and private sector is expected to kick off today in Braamfontein.

Over the next two days, respresentatives from SA National Parks, steel manufacturing company Arcelor Mittal, SAV International and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment are expected to reflect on their efforts to realise gender equality in their companies of state entities.

According to commission spokesperson Javu Baloyi, the main objectives of the hearing are to:

Assess compliance with other transformation legislation and its policies;

Assess the impact of transformation legislation and policies on persons with disability, women and other previously disadvantaged in the public and private sector;

Address institutional and systematic barriers to economic and gender diversity in the workplace on the progress of women and persons with disability;

Raise awareness of relevant international commitments to gender transformation and the importance of compliance;

Raise and address transformation policy gaps and implementation challenges;

Make findings and recommendations of the necessary improvements and corrections to improve policy implementation;

To consult and liaise with relevant stakeholders for their input on all the above; and

Monitoring the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations by each public or private entity.

“[Participants will] account for the slow pace of gender transformation in their workplaces. They will also account for the inadequate promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment, particularly for women with disabilities.

“After these hearings, the Commission will develop recommendations to help the companies implement ways to ensure the realisation of gender equality in the workplace,” Baloyi said.

Source: South African Government News Agency