The women had attended a two-week SANRAL-accredited training programme in construction management.

Advancing the cause of women in construction is the lifeblood of the South African Women in Construction (SAWIC) organisation.  

SANRAL recently hosted a round-table meeting with SAWIC in Port Elizabeth to find ways to expand the role of women in the sector.  

Fourty SAWIC women, all of whom received SANRAL certifications during the session, were in attendance.  

The women had attended a two-week SANRAL-accredited training programme in construction management. 

SANRAL’s Stakeholder Relations Coordinator for the Southern Region, Welekazi Ndika, urged: “Our focus should no longer be only on the 30% subcontracting to small, medium and micro enterprises. We should push for 51% black ownership in joint ventures on our projects to ensure tangible growth and transformation.”  

SANRAL’s empowerment partners, Bell Equipment, Barloworld Equipment, Pilot Crushtec and Purple Sunshine, were also in attendance to outline the services from which SAWIC could benefit as part of the empowerment partnership with SANRAL which enables emerging contractor to access plant equipment and mentorship.  

More opportunities 

There are notable opportunities on the horizon from which SAWIC members can benefit, heard the gathering.  

Tar manufacturing company Purple Sunshine’s Pamela Bukashe said that “98% of Eastern Cape roads are gravel, so you are in the right space”.  

SANRAL’s Community Development Specialist, Dr Mongezi Noah, said SAWIC members should also widen their focus beyond SANRAL’s construction projects.  

“Our transformation policy applies to all our sub-sectors which are maintenance, operations, ICT, legal, noncore services, finance and audit, human capital, property and marketing and communications.”  

SAWIC President, Kile Mteto, said: “What is SANRAL going to do to ensure that the investment made through this training yields results? We would appreciate SANRAL ringfencing a budget to place the persons trained into an incubator system in order to see real growth in the next few years.”