Women must challenge the status quo and fight against inequality and poverty. They must never accept the status quo and the stereotypes. This was said by the Acting Deputy Director-General of Industrial Financing at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), Ms Susan Mangole. Mangole made the call during a panel discussion of the Women in Public Sector Webinar held under the theme: Tackling gender boundaries and changing the narrative on women in leadership.

According to Mangole, women must take the lead in building the economy and each other. She said the recent unrests left many with destroyed companies, jobless and confused, and these unrests called for collaborations. She further urged women entrepreneurs to take up assistance offered through the recently announced economic recovery interventions administered by the Industrial Development Corporation that offers interest-free loans and grants.

“Women must not be discouraged and lose their voices while they challenge the status quo. They must repeat their point again and again until they are heard,” added Mangole.

She said while the government and the private sector were working on empowering women, it was important to pay more attention to closing the gap on inequality and eradicating poverty, which she said was still a barrier in women empowerment.

“We cannot talk about women empowerment without addressing access to services by all women, particularly those in rural areas. Access to finance by women entrepreneurs remains critical as they need to grow their businesses and employ other women. Young girls need to see that women can also own businesses and succeed. It is also as vital to accelerating awareness of opportunities that are available for women and talk about them not just in August but throughout the year,” said Mangole.

While challenges will always be there, Mangole said it was critical for women not to lose their voices and focus on their goals.

Source: Government of South Africa