Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane has called for a fundamental shift in the way women are supported and empowered in the human settlements sector.
Simelane said women must move beyond being beneficiaries of programmes to becoming owners, professionals, decision-makers and leaders across the sector's value chain.
Simelane was speaking at the Women in Human Settlements Sector Dialogue in Johannesburg, on Monday evening, where she was joined by Deputy Minister Tandi Mahambehlala and female Members of Executive Councils (MECs) responsible for Human Settlements.
The dialogue, held under the theme: "Value Chain Opportunities for Women in the Human Settlements Sector, Empowered Women - Empower the Nation," brought together government, sector entities, industry stakeholders, and women beneficiaries to reflect on progress and challenges facing women's economic participation in human settlements.
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The engagement also marked the closing of the 2026 Women's Month programme and followed the recent launch of the Women of Human Settlements platform at Freedom Park.
Simelane said the dialogue aimed to create a sector-wide space in which women do not gather only to be celebrated, but to shape policy, influence institutions, expand their economic power and hold the sector accountable for measurable progress.
"Today's engagement carries that work forward. It has moved from policy direction to implementation; from targets to opportunity; from institutional programmes to the experiences of women whose businesses, careers and professional journeys have been affected by those programmes," she said.
Set-aside
Simelane said the approved 40% set-aside target for women must become a practical instrument for expanding women's participation throughout the human settlements delivery value chain.
She stressed that the target must be reflected in procurement planning, sourcing, awards, contract values, payments and performance reporting.
"It should not be treated as a slogan or an end-of-year calculation. It is one practical instrument through which public expenditure can widen participation in the economy."
The Minister however, warned that meeting the 40% target alone will not amount to transformation. She said the sector must also determine whether women-owned businesses are able to enter procurement pipelines, comply with requirements, compete effectively, receive payments on time, build capacity and progress to larger opportunities.
"We must ask whether professional women are moving into technical authority, executive leadership, and boardrooms. We must ask whether women have ownership and influence across land, finance, construction, property management, regulation, research and innovation," Simelane said.
Economic empowerment
The Minister also linked women's economic empowerment to the fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), arguing that safety and economic power cannot be considered separately.
"Economic dependence can narrow a woman's choices. Secure tenure, a professional pathway, access to finance, a contract and a sustainable enterprise can enlarge them," she said.
The discussion on GBVF followed the policy direction announced on 14 August, which provides for qualifying survivors facing serious housing vulnerability to have access to a lawful, confidential and survivor-centred pathway for priority assessment and appropriate housing assistance.
Simelane emphasised that the policy should not be interpreted as an automatic allocation of a house, rather, a credible system through which vulnerability can be assessed, appropriate support identified, responsibilities assigned and decisions taken lawfully and with dignity.
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She said the success of the approach will depend on effective coordination among government institutions and sector partners.
The Department of Social Development, she noted, provides shelters, psychosocial services, case management and referral pathways, while the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has national coordination and monitoring responsibilities. Provinces, municipalities, Human Settlements entities, civil society and other sector partners also have important roles to play.
"The test is whether a survivor encounters a coordinated system rather than a maze of institutions. We must protect personal information, minimise repeated disclosure, avoid public labelling and ensure that every referral has an institution that receives it and an official responsible for acting on it," the Minister said.
