"TRANSFORMATION CANNOT EXCLUDE WOMEN AND YOUTH" PREMIER MAQUEEN

Budget Vote Breakfast Engagement

By: Neo Ntsele

Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae emphasized that the inclusion and participation of women in the economic ecosystem is non-negotiable in the 7th administration.

She made the remarks during a budget vote Breakfast Engagement today (Fri) at the Naval Hill Planetarium.

The Free State Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Finance, in partnership with Black Management Business and the University of the Free State, convened a Post-Budget Vote Breakfast Engagement at the Naval Hill Planetarium in Bloemfontein.

The purpose of the breakfast was to create a multi-sector conversation on the structural arrangements of the budget and the optimum deployment of the provincial purse to ignite economic growth, facilitate development, and foster inclusive economic growth.

The aim is to circumvent prevailing socioeconomic challenges that continue to plague the province, such as unemployment, inequality, and crime.

Premier Letsoha-Mathae reiterated the need for government procurement to be catalytic and to serve as a launchpad for Free State–owned small businesses, particularly women-owned enterprises, to gain prominence in key sectors of the economy.

She stressed, requires collaborative efforts through public-private partnerships that focus on supporting small businesses.

The Premier also expressed her disappointment in some provincial departments—key economic development agents—that have failed in their responsibility to empower Free State–based small businesses, instead favouring enterprises from outside the province.

She also criticized the underwhelming contributions of financial institutions toward uplifting women and youth.

“Financial institutions must come to the party and be active participants in the development of our SMMEs and community-based initiatives. Creating an inclusive ecosystem is fundamental. They have a social responsibility to plough back into communities, and there are many ways to do so. One is to ensure that our SMMEs and women-owned businesses are capacitated and treated fairly when they need financial support,” she said.

She further added: “We will advocate for Free State businesspeople to be prioritized when appointing companies to do business with government. A 40% women representation in procurement will become the norm.”