OPINION | GAUTENG MUST MOVE FROM PROGRESS TO PARITY ON GENDER EQUALITY
- BEE NEWS
- Aug 6
- 3 min read
Bongo Ntshangase | 5 August 2025
The provincial government is rewriting the future, with women at the centre of progress.
In a world where gender equality still lags in both the public and private sectors, the Gauteng provincial government is making deliberate strides to change this narrative.
Its multipronged approach, spanning economic inclusion, education, health and procurement, signals an understanding that empowerment cannot be siloed. It must be systemic, consistent and measurable.
One of the most notable shifts is around economic participation. More than 41,000 women in Gauteng accessed work opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme and 18,261 were employed through public employment programmes.
These numbers are not abstract; they represent women who are now earning, contributing, and in some cases, leading. Significantly, 6,515 women on child support grants were linked to economic opportunities, signalling an important shift from welfare dependence to economic agency.
Furthermore, 224 emerging black women-owned firms were empowered through contracting and subcontracting and 60 women-owned companies were registered in public procurement systems.
These measures are crucial in tackling the systemic barriers women face in entering and thriving in the business sector.
However, these numbers also expose critical gaps. Only 8.83% of the provincial government’s total procurement spend went to women-owned businesses, well below the 40% target. Even more concerning is the drop from 12% in the previous year.
This is not just a statistical shortfall; it represents missed opportunities to reshape Gauteng’s economy in a way that is inclusive and just. If public procurement is one of the levers of transformation, then failing to meet these targets stifles progress at its root.
The glaring shortfall in procurement spending must be addressed with urgency, transparency and accountability. A drop of R1.76bn in spending on women-owned businesses is not just a number; it’s a regression in the fight for gender equity in enterprise.
While the provincial government continues to create enabling conditions, women in business must seize the opportunities presented by registering on supplier databases and strengthening their business capabilities to deliver the required products and services.
This should not only be viewed as a way of helping the government meet its targets – it is also about unlocking the full economic potential of women for their advancement, their families and for the development of the Gauteng economy.
Gauteng’s commitment to educating and upskilling women is also bearing fruit. A staggering 40,679 women participated in skills development programmes, with an additional 1,200 trained specifically on how to access the 40% public procurement allocation for women.
In the 2024 National Senior Certificate exams, female candidates outperformed their male counterparts in all quintiles, an encouraging indicator of growing gender parity in academic achievement. Of the 73,997 female learners who wrote the exams, more than 39,000 achieved a bachelor’s pass.
But more impressive still is the surge in girls succeeding in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects: 18.05% scored above 60% in mathematics and 13.23% did so in physical science. These results debunk long-held myths about girls and science and they hint at a future where Gauteng’s women not only participate in the fourth Industrial Revolution but also lead it.
Women’s empowerment also means control over their health and reproductive lives. Gauteng is pushing forward with targeted reproductive health interventions from increased access to intrauterine contraceptive devices (21,090 administered) to a maternal mortality rate in health facilities of just 10.3 per 100,000 live births, well below the national average. The mother-to-child HIV transmission rate now sits at 0.2%, a stunning victory in the fight against vertical transmission.
A notable shift has also occurred in tackling teenage pregnancies. Deliveries among girls aged 10 to 14 decreased by 30%, and those among 15 to 19-year-olds dropped by more than 3,000 in just one year. These gains are due to real interventions like youth-friendly zones in clinics and robust reproductive health education, not just rhetoric.
While these achievements are commendable, to claim victory would be premature.
We must also ask: Are these programmes sustainable? Are they monitored for long-term effects? Are women being moved into leadership, ownership and policy-making roles, or are they being locked into low-wage and short-term opportunities?
The answer lies in what the province does next. Gauteng has laid the groundwork. Now it must deepen the roots of transformation.
The task before the Gauteng provincial government is clear: move from progress to parity, which means doing more than counting women in programmes; it means making women count in every sphere of society.
The Gauteng government remains committed to ensuring that August is not only about the celebration of women, but rather a commitment to rewriting the future with women at the centre of progress and building a better future for all.
Ntshangase is a communicator in the office of the Gauteng premier
‘Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’.