Department of Minerals & Energy on Beijing Platform for Action & CEDAW Commitments Progress: briefing

Meeting report

IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND STATUS OF WOMEN JOINT MONITORING COMMITTEE
10 June 2005
DEPARTMENT OF MINERALS AND ENERGY ON BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION AND CEDAW COMMITMENTS PROGRESS: BRIEFING

Chairperson: Ms E Mabe (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Department of Minerals and Energy PowerPoint presentation on Beijing Platform for Action and CEDAW Commitments progress
Charter of Women in Nuclear South Africa (WINSA)

SUMMARY
The Department of Minerals and Energy briefed the Committee on their progress on the Beijing Platform for Action and the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Officials outlined the Department’s gendered approach, and described women’s particular achievements and challenges in the sector. They also highlighted internal Department gender programmes.

Members asked questions around contact details of SA Women in Mining Activities (SAWIMA), the recruitment of women in the nuclear and electricity sector, and other target groups. The Committee requested that the Department provided more regular information that would assist them with answering questions in their constituencies. Information pamphlets should be distributed, for instance on SAWIMA, the Eskom Education Trust, and the Department’s bursaries.

MINUTES

Department briefing
The Department of Minerals of Energy briefed the Committee on their progress on the ‘Beijing Platform for Action’ and meeting the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) commitments.

Ms Maphokya, Department Gender Co-ordinator, outlined the Department’s gender approach, their employment equity performance, and the internally focused gender programmes. The latter included the Da Vinci sponsorship, the Tata beneficiation project, the Malaysian sponsorship, capacity building initiatives, and bursaries.

Ms Ntombela, Department Director of Minerals Regulation and Administration, described achievements and challenges in the mining and minerals sectors, with particular focus on the progress made regarding SA Women in Mining Activities (SAWIMA).

Ms Molomo, Department Director of Energy, informed the Committee on the present situation of women in the energy sector.

Ms Momale, Director: Nuclear Non-proliferation, addressed issues around the nuclear sector, describing achievements and challenges of the Women In Nuclear South Africa (WINSA) Charter that had been adopted in 2003.

Discussion
The Chairperson queried whether the nine regions where the Small-scale Mining Chamber had been launched, referred to the nine provinces. She asked how the Department addressed the challenge of the slow pace of deals flowing from the mining reforms in the mining and minerals sectors. She asked more on the target market for the recruitment of women in the nuclear sector.

Ms P Tshwete (ANC) followed up by asking where the national SAWIMA office was based, whether each province had a SAWIMA office, and where the nine SAWIMA offices were situated.

Ms Ntombela answered that the national office of SAWIMA was situated in Johannesburg. The Department would forward the regional addresses and the website of SAWIMA to the Committee. Each province had a SAWIMA office, and they used the Department’s buildings because of financial constraints.

Ms J Semple (DA) asked about the staffing level of the Gender Co-ordinator on the Executive Committee of the Department. Ms Maphokya replied that she served at a Deputy Director level. The Department was currently in a transitional period, and was trying to co-ordinate all the work focused on gender issues.

Ms Semple queried how many women were in SAWIMA and whether their website was linked to that of the Department. Ms Ntombela answered that SAWIMA had an independent website. The Department would forward the address to the Committee. Ms Ntombela added that they would request SAWIMA to provide a brochure to Members.

Ms Semple wondered whether the name ‘small-scale mining’ was appropriate, because it perpetuated the misconception that women could not do large-scale mining. She asked how women coped with activities involving granite, and suggested that the Department invited the Committee to get an insight into this field.

Ms Ntombela answered that the Small-scale Mining Chamber was in the process of being launched. Within the Department, they had people who only specialised in small-scale mining in the regional offices. They encouraged women to engage equally in small scale and large-scale mining. The intention was to start off rural women in small-scale mining, and introduce them to large-scale mining at a later stage.

Ms Semple asked for clarity about the 200 black women-owned companies in the electricity sector. Ms Molomo explained that their monitoring and evaluation database had only included the expenditure towards these companies, without taking into account the extent to which these companies were employed by clients. Their database had been changed to include such information.

Ms Semple queried whether the Department was going to schools to encourage female pupils to take subjects important to the nuclear sector, and whether they explained the promising career they could follow.

Ms J Ngele (ANC) asked for more clarity about the role of women in nuclear-related fields.

Ms Tshwete queried which methods were used to recruit women in the nuclear sector, and whether they worked closely with the Office for the Status of Women (OSW) in the Presidency.

Ms Maphokya informed Members that universities assisted the Department in the recruiting women into WINSA. They assured that information about WINSA would reach students, and that meetings with experts would take place in order to attract female students to follow this career. Since the adoption of the WINSA Charter in 2003, two women had represented South Africa internationally on nuclear issues.

Ms X Makasi (ANC) queried how the Department mobilised students to get bursaries, at which schools they promoted the bursaries, and whether schools in informal settlements were included. A brochure with more information about bursaries would be useful for Members’ constituencies.

Ms Maphokyka replied that the Department had two outreach programmes annually that focused on ‘deep rural’ areas. They co-ordinated programmes with the relevant municipalities, paid for student accommodation and food, and invited medical school representatives. They distributed information pamphlets to both girls and boys who had been previously disadvantaged.

Ms N Mbambo (ANC) suggested distributing pamphlets that gave information about the subjects girls had to learn at school in order to follow a career in the electricity sector. She further asked for more information about the Education Trust of Eskom.

Ms Molomo answered that they would consider distributing pamphlets at the Eskom outlets. Eskom had to provide further information to the Committee about their Education Trust. This year, they had educated 25 female students from grade 10 to grade 12 around electricity careers, explaining what they could do after studying electrical engineering, besides working for Eskom.

The Chairperson reminded Members that there would be further meetings with the Department addressing these issues.

Ms N Mdaka (UDM) asked how many women had been elected to the Interim Steering Committee in 2001, and the extent of their preparations for the launch of a SA Chapter of Women in Nuclear (WIN). She expressed concern that the Department had not informed the Committee about their visits to communities.

Ms Maphoyka replied that all their regional offices in the nine provinces had gender representatives who reported to the head office monthly. She agreed that there had been a problem of communication between the Department and the Committee, and stressed that in the future they would let Members know about their provincial activities.

Ms Semple commented that the Department had not briefed the Committee on the rural development and anti-poverty programmes outlined on meeting agenda. A further briefing addressing this issue would be needed. She wondered if the Department could provide them with some information in this regard in the interim.

Mr Mnguni, Department Head of Management Services, commented that due to the lack of capacity in the Department of Education, they assisted that department in addressing the problem of scarce skills. Minerals and Energy had developed a scarce skills recruitment and retention strategy. The Department had given their contact details to the Committee and were willing to answer any further questions.

The meeting was adjourned.