Several women who took part in the launch of the South African Network for Women in Transport (SANWIT) in Polokwane on Tuesday have vowed to challenge stereotypes suggesting that the transport industry is a terrain strictly for men.
The Limpopo chapter of SANWIT, was launched by the department of Transport and seeks to empower women and expose them to available opportunities in the male-dominated sector.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga.
In her address, Chikunga says there is a need for women to own trucks, build roads and bridges, “It must be noted that you are entrepreneurs who should be in business as well,” she says.
Chikunga further says there is still a strong perception that women are incapable, “let us not inherit this inferiority complex, let us go out and take the challenge”.
She also urges the MEC of Transport in Limpopo, Nandi Ndalane to ensure that 30% of government contracts are awarded to women who belong to SANWIT.
“But this does not say 70% should be men. It must be 50% equal opportunity, which means 20% of other women will not be members of SANWIT, ” clarifies Chikunga.
Some of the women who attended the event were widows who inherited taxis from their late husbands. Rhyna Lekwane from Ga-Mphahlele says it still proves difficult for women to successfully enter the transportation sector, “Men are still oppressing us because they are in the majority,” explains Lekwane.
National Chairperson of SANWIT Mary Phadi says the structure which was formed in 2007 now boasts a membership of 4 000 women across the country.
