As SA commemorates Women’s Month, we are reminded that despite significant progress in advancing gender equality, many women continue to face socio-economic challenges that limit their full participation in the economy.
Poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, and inequality remain a daily reality for thousands of women, particularly those from vulnerable households and communities.
Women often carry the responsibility of caring for families, raising children, supporting elderly relatives, and sustaining households, frequently with limited resources and opportunities. Yet, despite these challenges, women continue to demonstrate resilience and remain at the forefront of community development, food production, and local economic activity.
Addressing these challenges requires deliberate investment in programmes that empower women economically, equip them with practical skills, and create sustainable opportunities for income generation.
It is against this backdrop that the Gauteng department of social development has intensified its efforts to promote sustainable livelihoods and economic inclusion through targeted interventions aimed at reducing poverty and restoring dignity.
Through its Sustainable Livelihoods Programme, the department continues to implement initiatives that contribute towards poverty alleviation, food security, entrepreneurship development, cooperative support, and skills development.
These interventions seek to empower vulnerable individuals and communities with the tools necessary to participate meaningfully in the economy and become self-reliant.
Over the years, the department has invested in a range of programmes that support women and youth through agricultural development projects, food gardens, cooperative enterprises, skills transfer initiatives, and entrepreneurship development.
These interventions complement departmental programmes such as the War on Poverty Campaign, Thiba Tlala food security initiatives, community nutrition programmes, and various livelihood projects that provide vulnerable households with opportunities to improve their socio-economic circumstances.
One of the department’s most significant lessons has been that government cannot tackle poverty, unemployment, and inequality alone. Sustainable development requires collaboration between government, the private sector, civil society organisations, and communities themselves.
Public-private partnerships have become increasingly important in leveraging resources, expertise, and opportunities that can accelerate social and economic transformation.
This is evident in the department’s partnership with Rebafenyi Development Centre, a non-profit organisation funded by the department of social development and Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited, which has invested in agricultural skills development, enterprise support, cooperative development, and entrepreneurship training.
The graduation of beneficiaries on August 28 from these programmes is more than a celebration of academic achievement. It is a demonstration of what can be accomplished when government and the private sector work together.
The significance of this achievement is amplified by its commemoration during National Women’s Month. This year marks 70 years since the historic Women’s March of August 9 1956, when more than 20,000 courageous women marched to the Union Buildings to protest against unjust pass laws.
Today, that spirit of resilience continues to inspire women who are breaking barriers in business, agriculture, government, and community development. Across Gauteng, women are leading cooperatives, managing food production projects, creating employment opportunities, and strengthening household food security. They are not merely beneficiaries of development programmes; they are active agents of change driving economic and social transformation.
As we celebrate Women’s Month, we must recognise that empowering women economically is not only a social imperative but an economic necessity. When women have access to skills, resources, markets, and opportunities, families become more resilient, communities become stronger, and local economies grow.
The future of Gauteng’s development depends on our collective ability to invest in women, support sustainable livelihoods, and strengthen partnerships that create lasting social and economic impact. There can be no sustainable development without women’s economic empowerment.
*Nkomo-Ralehoko is the MEC for social development in Gauteng
