Chikunga Champions Stronger Support for Women Entrepreneurs

Johannesburg: If South Africa is to achieve meaningful economic transformation, women entrepreneurs must be given more access to finance, markets, procurement opportunities and investment, Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga said on Friday. Delivering a keynote address at the Womanpreneur Pitch and Match 2026 at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in Sandton on Friday, Chikunga said women's economic empowerment remained one of the unfinished tasks of South Africa's democracy. According to South African Government News Agency, Chikunga emphasized that women's economic empowerment is crucial not only as a matter of social justice but also as a growth and development strategy. Despite extensive policy and legislative frameworks, the desired scale of economic empowerment for women is yet to be achieved. The Womanpreneur Pitch and Match event has evolved from a competition into a significant tool for economic transformation, connecting women entrepreneurs to essential reso urces such as capital, markets, investors, and supply chains. Chikunga linked the event to the country's historical milestones, including the 1956 Women's March, the 1976 Youth Uprisings, and the 30 years of the Constitution, which collectively enshrined dignity, equality, and non-sexism as foundational democratic values. The Minister highlighted the importance of translating past victories into current economic inclusion, emphasizing the need for a society where women with viable business ideas can access necessary resources to grow. She outlined several government interventions aimed at strengthening women's participation in the economy. These include a preferential procurement policy requiring at least 40% of public procurement opportunities to benefit women-owned and other designated enterprises. The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment initiative encourages companies to support women-owned enterprises through supplier and enterprise development. Chikunga pointed to the Public Procurement Act, signed into law in July 2024, as an instrument being operationalized through draft regulations. The government has already trained close to 6,000 women-owned businesses to compete for state contracts, with departments required to monitor and report on women's participation in procurement processes. She highlighted the R897 million Imbali For Her blended finance programme, launched by the Department of Small Business Development and the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA), which aims to support women-owned businesses with grants and financing. However, Chikunga cautioned that commitments and approvals must translate into actual funding. She called on development finance institutions and private-sector partners to convert commitments into real funding for women-owned businesses. She challenged corporate South Africa to increase procurement spending towards women-owned businesses and to provide innovative financing. Chikunga also urged support for women not only as suppliers but as manufacturers, exporters, and industrialists. She emphasized that the success of these initiatives will be measured by the growth in customers, capital, contracts, and employment for women-owned businesses. Congratulating the Womanpreneur Alumni Class of 2025 and the Top 10 Finalists of 2026, she praised their contribution to employment and economic growth, asserting that empowered women build industries, create jobs, grow economies, and change the future.