With Women’s Month drawing to a close today, South African women continue to carry the torch for a better tomorrow.
Businesswoman Khosi Kumkani says that there’s an innate magic to women.
“We are creators and we should start thinking like that, even in the business space. We have so much magic inside us,” she told SAnews.
Kumkani is the owner of RenewablesZA a drop shipping platform for suppliers and manufacturers that offer products of bioenergy like wood pellets and bricks for heating applications.
The mother of two urged women to not let gender be an obstacle to finding success in business.
“Business has never been a gender issue. I have learnt that women can be successful in any kind of business about which they are passionate,” she said of the company she started in 2017.
In his Women’s Day address earlier this month, President Cyril Ramaphosa said women entrepreneurs need companies, departments, and customers to buy their products and services.
Government, he said, has committed to set aside 40% of public procurement spend to women-owned businesses. This is in addition to workshops being held countrywide to equip women with skills to do business with both government and the private sector.
In addition, government will not spare any effort to build a non-sexist society in which men and women have equal opportunities and prospects.
Kumkani adds that things are not easy for women to scale up their businesses. This as many women still shoulder the majority of household responsibilities.
”There is a subtle but strong belief and expectation that the woman will be the parent who raises the children, while the man works. The oldest daughter is often given the role of the childminder, particularly in rural areas.”
She added that while government has done a lot in promoting woman in business, women’s responsibilities and a lack of support at home are often major obstacles to running a business.
“We need support beyond just funding,” she said.
The President said the country commemorated Women’s Month deeply aware of the many challenges that women are confronted with on a daily basis. Poverty, discrimination and violence continue to hold back the progress of the country’s women and girls.
Throughout the month, government has held various events highlighting the successes that women continue to make in their communities while also taking cognisance of the challenges that continue to beset women.
The year’s Women’s Month marked the 66th anniversary of the march of approximately 20 000 women to the Union Buildings to petition against the pass laws of the country at the time.
The month’s programme is based on the ongoing interventions across the work of government, civil society and the private sector within the context of the national priorities outlined by government.
Hosted under the theme, ‘Women’s Socio-Economic Rights and Empowerment: Building Back Better for Women’s Resilience!’, this year’s Women’s Month was a call to action to all of society, government and partners to take tangible steps forward in responding to the most persistent challenges affecting the lives of women and girls.
