Speaking at the Leslie Monnanyane Building in Rocklands, Bloemfontein, where a Women in Construction workshop held by the department is currently underway, Mfingwana said the department now aims to bridge this gap by contracting more females in the business to be the department's suppliers.  

While she adds that this is something high on the provincial department's priority list, she also adds that those in attendance should note that the process of doing business with those that will register on the department's supplier database will not happen overnight. 

"As we all know, our government has some financial challenges at the moment so this is not something that will happen tomorrow but we would like to start the process now already, so that by the time we recover financially, we already have a list of people we can contact and work with," Mfingwana says. Mfingwana, who serves the department as a Civil Engineering Technician, also says the department, through this workshop, aims to broaden awareness on the different business models that have potential in the water and construction sectors and how women in these industries can benefit from each one. This workshop will be held for one day only and aims to target women already in business or those hoping to soon break into business soon.

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