ANC’s Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on women empowerment, radical economic transformation

The Essence Festival in Durban provided a platform for exclusive insights from ANC presidential candidate Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on crucial topics such as women empowerment, the mining sector, and radical economic transformation. Dlamini-Zuma emphasized the need for both the private sector and government to play instrumental roles in advancing the position of women in the business sphere. She highlighted the importance of not only incorporating women in business operations but also enabling them to become owners of businesses. The utilization of procurement resources by the government was underscored as a means to support the growth of small businesses owned by women, young people, and black individuals into medium and large enterprises. The integration and empowerment of women in the economy were depicted as pivotal for driving positive results and fostering inclusive economic growth. Moving on to the mining sector, Dlamini-Zuma stressed the necessity for greater involvement of black mining entrepreneurs to promote economic transformation. She advocated for the implementation of measures that ensure mining operations benefit local communities by providing essential amenities such as decent housing, education facilities, healthcare services, and infrastructure development. Dlamini-Zuma also called for mining companies to fulfill their tax obligations and operate ethically, condemning practices like transfer pricing. Radical economic transformation emerged as a central theme in the discourse, with Dlamini-Zuma outlining a vision that places a 'skills revolution' at the forefront of the agenda. She emphasized the critical role of education and skills development in empowering marginalized groups such as black individuals, women, and youth to participate meaningfully in the economy. Land and agrarian reform were identified as key components to unlocking wealth and creating opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups. Dlamini-Zuma urged for the inclusion of new entrants in various sectors like the blue ocean economy, infrastructure development, energy, ICT, and social infrastructure to drive job creation, foster entrepreneurship, and promote value addition. The imperative of action was highlighted, as she called for concrete steps to be taken in expanding the economy and redistributing wealth equitably among South Africa's populace. Ultimately, Dlamini-Zuma articulated a vision for a prosperous and inclusive South Africa, underlining the need to combat poverty, inequality, and unemployment for the collective benefit of all citizens.