InfrAstructure & Development - Trademax Publications
InfrAstructure & Development - Trademax Publications
InfrAstructure & Development - Trademax Publications
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ed’s note<br />
Saluting the fairer sex<br />
August is Women’s month and so in this issue we turn our<br />
attention to women in construction.<br />
The emergence of expanded and diversified roles for<br />
women in this industry is an increasingly important<br />
indicator of economic development in our country<br />
and the world.<br />
Nowadays, there are many more professional women<br />
making their mark as engineers, architects, quantity<br />
surveyors and project managers and it is heartening to see<br />
more and more women demonstrating tenacity, hard work<br />
and prowess to beat the odds and success in a traditionally<br />
male-dominated world of construction.<br />
At this time, one particular woman in the industry stands<br />
out for us. This is Elizabeth O’Leary, Executive Director of<br />
Khuthaza, a not-for-profit company that offers services<br />
and programmes, mostly for those women involved in the<br />
construction and housing industries, with the aim of career<br />
and enterprise development.<br />
We share with our readers just one of Khuthaza’s many<br />
success stories – that of Nomasonto Tshehla, who was<br />
selected for the Tiber Bonvec Construction bursary<br />
programme. Needless to say, Tshehla is now a Green Star<br />
Accredited Professional and a great asset to the South<br />
African construction industry. Read more about her story<br />
on page 16.<br />
The empowerment of women stimulates socio-economic<br />
development, something that is particularly relevant in<br />
Africa, where developing countries could augment this<br />
development through improved education, employment<br />
and earnings for women.<br />
We salute women in construction and applaud their drive<br />
to occupy their own space in a traditionally maledominated<br />
industry.<br />
However, it is our hope that in years to come, we will not<br />
require a month, or a day to observe the woman’s role in<br />
any sphere, economic, political, or social, or to lament the<br />
obvious absence of women in so many important sectors<br />
and roles. Rather, we hope that women will be, to all of us,<br />
integral, highly important contributors to a more fair,<br />
equal and accepting workforce, and acknowledged, for<br />
their contributions, on all fronts, to a developing South<br />
Africa.<br />
Jen<br />
Please forward your comments, suggestions and questions<br />
to editor@trademax.co.za.<br />
2 august 2013
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