Women in Management Receive Acknowledgement

Ms Liezl Jansen, Adv Kamraj Anirudhra, Ms Hannetjie du Preez and Mr Shaun Julie.

To end Women's Month celebrations, a breakfast was held for women in management at the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) on 31 August 2012. This occasion focused on progress with the Head of Department's eight-principle action plan for gender mainstreaming.

Ms Liezl Jansen, Deputy Director of the Service Delivery Improvement Unit, led the proceedings with a powerful set of messages about the need for gender equality. The eight principles, formulated at national government level to respond to the slow pace of transformation, have been internalised in the projects and the human resource management of DCAS.

Adv Kamraj Anirudhra, Acting Head of the Commission for Gender Equality, referred to a host of statistics about the unequal position of women in the world, and said change begins with each and every individual.

Speaking on behalf of the Head of Department, Mr Shaun Julie, Director of Strategic and Operational Management Support, said that the eight principles are:

• Transformation for Non-Sexism.
• Establishing a Policy Environment.
• Meeting Equity Targets.
• Creating an Enabling Environment.
• Mainstreaming Gender.
• Empowerment.
• Providing Adequate Resources.
• Accountability, Monitoring and Evaluation.

These principles are essential for the full implementation of national policies and implementation guidelines on women's empowerment and gender equality through the development of departmental and sector-specific guidelines and standard operating procedures. Heads of department are required to regularly report on progress towards planned targets. Among other things, implementation is intended to encourage upward mobility for women and gender equality in the workplace. In line with the eight principles, DCAS puts strong emphasis on the advancement of the rights of women, girls and disabled females.

One of the ways the department creates an enabling environment for women to empower themselves is by giving preference to women participants in skills development programmes, short courses and other training.

The Mass Participation, Opportunity and Access, Development and Growth (MOD) Programme and Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) - both initiatives of the department to achieve the social inclusion of less fortunate communities - highlight the need for women and girls to participate equally. While DCAS has made significant strides towards gender equality, Mr Julies said there is always room for improvement.

DCAS is committed to implementing the eight principles, and its progress is measured through active monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, both within the department, and externally in the Department of Public Service and Administration, the Department of Labour, and the Commission for Gender Equality. Armed with these principles, female employees and female beneficiaries of DCAS programmes are set to get their fair share as the department acts to promote equality between men and women.