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the dti Women Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Speech by Dr Anna Mokgokong
Thursday 31 August 2006
Honourable Deputy Minister Mrs Elizabeth Thabethe
Ms Hlonela Lupulwana, the Chief Operating Officer of the dti
Officials, management and staff of the dti
It is honestly my pleasure this morning to share a few thoughts about
this topic, which I believe touches my soul, and equally has to reach
out to all of us who are present today. I believe it is most appropriate
for us to discuss this subject as we close Women's Month, and for us to
reflect what this month actually has meant to us women, and especially
women in leadership and management positions today.
Exactly fifty years ago women in similar positions, in a different scenario
marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to demand recognition, to demand
freedom, and to demand empowerment. Fifty years later, women marched to the
Union Buildings again, presenting a similar scenario - this time relating to
their demand for an effective liberation, and not tokenism.
The tide is on for women to make their mark in this male-dominated world.
This year marks the twelfth anniversary of our hard-worn political emancipation.
The road to economic transformation is proving to be a minefield. The difference
between us and women of the past is that the women of the past only had limited
tools, and had no policies to support them. All they had was their own strong will.
Today, in a much different environment, we have all the tools and policies that
actually promote and support our initiatives. Especially, women at the dti
hold a very, very responsible portfolio in our communities, as women in the
Department of Trade and Industry, the department that should be a vehicle for
women to be empowered; enabling women to make a meaningful contribution to
society.
the dti women of yesterday were oppressed and suppressed and were
undermined, and held very limited positions of power. the dti woman
of today is free, empowered, and honoured. They are citizens who can make a
meaningful difference in their situation, holding portfolios such as Deputy
Minister. What more of the dti women of tomorrow; I believe that this
is the subject that we must reflect on today.
I personally do not like to linger too much on the past because I firmly
believe in life you must look ahead and not behind your shoulder, even though
you do need to reflect on your past such that you don't forget where you come
from. However, forgive me if you may, I would like us today to focus on our
tomorrow, that is where the future of the nation lies.
Time moves very fast in one's life, I am sure you will note that not so long
ago we were casting our votes in 1994, it seems it was yesterday, and yet it's
twelve years ago. So I don't believe it will help us much to focus much on where
we are today, but rather to focus on today being a springboard for tomorrow. We
have to lay a foundation so as to prepare for tomorrow.
And what do I perceive should be the goals of the dti women of tomorrow?
I believe these are women who must have a very firm base on values, virtues and
objectives, and still manage to keep their femininity. As women, in such portfolios,
we should focus around these issues. This should be applicable not to our
immediate work environment, but also the communities that we serve, and I would
like to share with you my company's values, virtues and objectives namely:
- Entrepreneurship:
Be entrepreneurial in your way of thinking and in your approach, because
entrepreneurs are the future of tomorrow, and by the way they hold about 80%
of the economy of this country, these are the figures that I heard at the
seda conference last week.
So we need to be entrepreneurial in our thinking and our approach when we
review policies and economic strategies in our country, and I am pleased to
share with you that my appointment to chair seda, much as it's quite
a tall order, that is where the economy of our country sits, and hence my idea
that entrepreneurship is a topic that we must concentrate on for tomorrow, an
entrepreneurial approach in our outlook. Our lack of innovative thinking in
our country has led to us having over 100 000 unemployed graduates.
the dti's role is to change that anomaly.
- Resilience:
As women in senior and leadership positions we have to be resilient and
tenacious, because it is tough up there, and the higher you get, the more
colder and abrasive it can be, and I believe that if you are not resilient
and having a thick skin you will actually succumb. It is very important
for us to prepare ourselves for tomorrow and to prepare also the youth to
be resilient. Companies come, and companies fall, and companies strive.
Equally, in your situation people come and go, those who remain will become
an integral part of our development. So when we plan, we must also consider
that aspect. Our greatest challenge is to assist people to run sustainable
enterprises, this is a very important point. At the seda conference
they talked of a mortality site!
I feel so proud when I look at great achievements and great strides that
some of our role models like Mirriam Maponya achieved despite all hardships
and difficulties, people like Brigette Radebe who have ventured into the
mining world and that just shows really the resilience and the determination
of some of our women under hard conditions and hard times that they managed
to make a meaningful position for themselves in the economic world. I believe
that's where the role of the women of the dti can play in taking
economic liberation of women into the future. At a personal level, my entire
lifetime would not suffice if I were to recount the experiences I encountered
as a black businesswoman. I am sure there are thousands of women who also feel
the same, the pain and suffering we face even today.
Instead of negativity amongst us women, let us harness this energy into
creative enterprises that can liberate us economically. You can go travel
the length and breadth of South Africa, you will find women engaged
in transactions, big and small. Cumulatively, in rand terms, the amount of
money exchanging hands in these transactions has over the years amounted to
billions of rands if not trillions. Women have the capacity and intuition
of taking care of themselves and their brethren, and so can you.
- Diligence:
As women in our work environment and our communities we have got to work
twice, if not thrice, as hard as our male counterparts. This is unfortunately
a reality. Anyone who works for the dti and believes she is in for a
free ride, or for a ride in a Gautrain has got it all wrong. We are here to
transform the economy of our country and to promote entrepreneurship and to
promote business and trade. Mediocrity is not accepted, and will not be
tolerated, because we will not be able to achieve these objectives if we
take a back seat approach. Be proactive, come with spanking new ideas. And
you will be deserving of a promotion!
- Integrity:
It is very, very important for anyone in such an esteemed office such as
the dti to have integrity as a virtue and value It has been a well-known
fact in the past that when poor entrepreneurs come to senior officials certain
unethical practices can go around that, where people take other people's ideas
and pursue them as their own initiatives. When people are assisted some senior
officers expect some very good fringe benefits. So these are practices that
should be stamped out, and our dti women of tomorrow will make sure
that such unethical practices don't exist, and are never a common feature of
this esteemed department, which we so truly value, we need you to see to it.
Become watchdogs of this.
- Passion:
This is very fundamental, and all of us should ask are we here because we
look at the job, because we want to get money, or did we come to the dti
because of our love for this industry and all the responsibilities and
frustrations that go with it, because one thing that we all have to understand
is that the dti's purse is very small, and yet it has got such a diverse
and complex portfolio. Funding is always an issue, and we always have to stretch
our pennies and make them go round a million times, and you find that our salaries,
compared to private sector are not comparable. Despite our experience and expertise.
However it is our passion that drives us to be part of the dti family
unreservedly, and not the prestige. You are serving a national duty in transforming
the economy of our country, and I believe that without that passion and dedication,
we will not win, and I would like to see us carry this value into the future, so do
I feel about my appointment at seda, I just take it as national duty because
the pain and suffering and frustrations that one is facing in terms of the challenges
that lie ahead sometimes make me feel despondent, but however one is so passionate
about the initiatives of small enterprise development that I believe it is worth my
while.
Having shared these values with you, how do we then forge ahead into the future?
I believe that these values and virtues will form a proper foundation for us as
women to hold hands, and support one another going forward. It is not only relevant
to us here at the dti, but also to look around our communities, where a list
of successful businesswomen will not quench the thirst we have as women. It will
not quell the cry and the resounding noise that you hear everyday in the corridors
of power. We need more than that. We need more than just conferences, seminars,
workshops. Women need also to be empowered actively, and the women of the dti
can play a critical role in seeing to it that women are effectively empowered, and
not underestimating or undermining the role of conferences and seminars, we also
need that, but I think, as the dti we need to look at a bold transformation
programme, so that when you leave the dti you can write a book on the number
of women that you personally contributed to their empowerment. When they are
empowered, they will take along their communities and I believe we need to nurture
each other, mentor each other and support each other, and I believe those are the
values we need to carry into tomorrow. Men do support each other, and they do also
what I am talking about for each other, but however it is a well known fact, and
it's not only a South African feature, even globally I have discovered that is an
issue. Men seldom play golf with women but often with other men.
The Commission of Employment Equity has painted a very bleak picture of women
representation in the business world. According to these disturbing statistics,
women occupy only 12% of top management positions in both private and
public sectors. Though President Thabo Mbeki should be commended for advancing
the cause of women empowerment by appointing women in senior positions in government,
we are yet to see a similar trend in the private sectors. Your role at the dti
is to change this bizarre phenomenon with policy. The message has come out from the
highest office in the land: the time has come to put women in their rightful place,
not barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, but in the higher echelons of power in
both the political and economic sphere. I take it that at the dti you are
playing a crucial role in balancing both of these because you are in a political
position, but also at the same time in the economic sphere, which I believe is the
heart and can be the core of women empowerment.
Looking at 2010 it is amazing what opportunities are available, the Enterprise
Magazine calls this "a business imperative" and I believe that the dti
can really play a meaningful role in assisting enterprises and entrepreneurs
in actually capitalizing on this opportunity, such as the ASGISA Initiative and
many others.
I would like to stress the point that the issue of women empowerment will not
be permanent, it is not life long, and we need to take advantage of policy
dispensations and entrench ourselves in the mainstream economy and create
sustainable ventures which can grow into large enterprises, and I believe
that it is critical that we should be focused in this issue, and that I
personally would like to see more women forming their own companies where
women are in charge and in control. Not just as portfolio investors, where
skills transfer does not exist; where they cannot even monitor
gender empowerment processes in their own companies, nor have influence;
such that their appointments can be viewed as tokenism. I firmly believe
that taking the next decade into the future we should be very strategic
about our situation and our position in the business world.
In conclusion, my dear sisters, the road ahead is a winding road up
the hill on the horizon, with storm clouds and clouds that are
forming, the challenges are many but we must stand firm and overcome
them. There is a saying that goes, "Behind every dark cloud there is
a silver lining": we can't back down now. There is only one way,
the way forward. Who best can drive for the emancipation of women
if it is not the women themselves? What more do we need from our
leadership, what more do we need from people around us, from the
world at large, if it is not to rise and shine, and rise to the
occasion?
I would like to pay tribute to the leadership of this country, to
the women of this country, who have made their strides, and even for
those at a very low economic level who make it day by day to feed
their families, contributing to the economic growth of our country.
And last but not least the communities in which we live, in which
we thrive, and which support our businesses day to day. As for the
women of the dti, the future lies very clearly ahead of us, we are in a
very privileged position to drive this initiative.
I wish to thank you for inviting me to join you this morning. I
feel so much better that I have emptied my chest and voiced what I believe is
something that is an integral aspect of economic emancipation of women, and I
am so pleased that I could share this with people who are of the thought as I
am, and I believe together, collectively, we can make a difference. Please help
the women of South Africa, they are calling out to you to assist them.
Thank You
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