The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
DEVOLUTION funds throughout the country should also be used to cater for the upliftment of women owned businesses in a bid to include them in issues of national development as they have been left out for many years.
This was said by the Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Dr Sithembiso Nyoni at a ground breaking ceremony of the first ever women’s industrial site in Umzingwane District in Matabeleland South yesterday.
The women also received various farming and mining implements from the Women Empowerment Bank. Dr Nyoni said women should be included in issues of national interest and get opportunities as they play a role in economic development via their small businesses.
“In a lot of cases, devolution funds are used for big projects and not for communities and women. We have done a ground breaking for the first ever industrial site for women in Mawabeni. We have discussed that some of the devolution money be set aside to put up this factory for women to carry out their production. Unless we do that, industrialisation will continue to be from the cities and trickle down to rural communities. We need now to deliberately work with the devolution funds, local authorities to develop infrastructure that will be key to helping women to be productive next and closest to their homes.”
Dr Nyoni said the province was rich in gold deposits, vegetables and other natural resources and must add value to the resources that are available.
“Why can’t they also grow sunflower that will enable them to make cooking oil as they have been given the machinery. We are saying the women must produce goods and add value to them and make more money, if you sell maize you don’t make much, but if you make mealie meal you fetch more so we want that from this area, goods must be value added now that you have the machinery. School uniforms and protective clothing must be made at growth points throughout the country where women can sell these, not to have everything that they need coming from the city,” she said.
The Women Empowerment Bank handed over grinding mills, maputi guns, mining compressors, hammer mills, detergent making machines, water pumps and incubators to women in business in Mawabeni as a way of empowering them to start their own businesses and to advance existing ones.
A representative from the bank, Mr Thando Gumbo said they opted to give equipment in order to empower women.
“We came here to empower the women with equipment that they said they wanted to grow their businesses. We hope that these assets do not go and gather dust in your homes but be used for production and development of your businesses and the nation at large,” he said.
Umzingwane Member of Parliament Retired Brigadier-General Levy Mayihlome said the factory that will be built will change the fortunes of the women.
“This centre that will be built will serve as a centre to teach women how to do various projects that they will go and implement in their villages as a means to empower themselves. There are 20 wards that will benefit. I urge the women to take care of equipment availed to them and get profits out of these machines. They must be put to work and they need to service the loans that came in the form of equipment. This will indeed change their lives for the better if they work hard as they will have been empowered,” he said.-@NyembeziMu
