KZN launches all-women advisory body to transform construction sector

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20-01-2026
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Witness
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The advisory body has also been tasked with the responsibility to mentor women aspiring to enter the male-dominated construction sector.

As part of the drive to bring about gender equity in the construction sector, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government on Tuesday unveiled She Builds Advisory Body, an all-female structure tasked with advising the government on women empowerment in the built environment.

The advisory body, which was unveiled in Durban by KZN Premier Thami Ntuli and Public Works and Infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer, has also been tasked with the responsibility to mentor women aspiring to enter the male-dominated construction sector.

Ntuli hailed the advisory body as a deliberate intervention aimed at dismantling long-standing barriers that have excluded women from meaningful participation in the construction sector.

“For too long, women have been marginalised in an industry that literally builds our communities and our economy,” he said.

We are prioritising women in sectors where they have historically been locked out, removing barriers and creating a level playing field. Women are integral to building and shaping our infrastructure.

The advisory body, Ntuli said, would redefine the province’s construction industry.

“This initiative must allow women to be independent, to lead and to derive real benefit,” Ntuli said.

“It should be a turning point for our province and send a strong message that KwaZulu-Natal has turned the corner,” he said.

MEc Meyer said the initiative was the provincial government’s response to the barriers preventing women from participating in the construction industry.

For far too long, their exclusion has been normalised, and that is something we must confront honestly.

“One of the key roles of this advisory body will be to engage with stakeholders, identify policy gaps and ensure that women’s voices are heard at the decision-making level,” he said.

The initiative, Meyer said, stemmed from the realisation that the KZN government’s vision to build a better province would not be realised unless women were part of the building process.

“KZN Public Works is on a mission to Build KZN Better. When this happens, the residents of KwaZulu-Natal enjoy a better quality of life. To do this, though, means we have to break down the foundations and walls of exclusion and discrimination and rebuild on a new foundation of inclusivity, appreciation of diversity and equality,” he said.