Women in construction in the Northern Cape say they are suffocating in the male-dominated industry.
They maintain that they are struggling to financially keep afloat, as government gives most of its construction work to men.
The women shared their views at a two-day Human Settlements Women Indaba in Roodepan, Kimberley.
The aim of the Indaba is encourage women to use their voices and come up with solutions to problems in the construction industry.
The women are calling on government to be deliberate in offering construction projects to women-owned companies.
One of the women says, “This a male dominated industry, whereby as women, it’s not easy to run this business, especially in the Northern Cape.”
Another adds, “The only thing that we need is the support from our government. If we get support, then government will go far in terms of service delivery,.”
The provincial chairperson of the SA Women in Construction and Building, Nomfuneko Bojana-Matshoba, urged government to give attention to this during Women’s Month.
She says, “They put all the contractors in the pool but there is no movement, no contractors are given the chance to bid or given the opportunity to grow from grade one to the upper grades, they are just in the pool. We want the minister to ensure that programs are revived so that they can grow the participation of women”
Related video: Eastern Cape women in construction raise concerns over male dominance:
Additional reporting by Abongile Jantjies.
