Tackling Gender Parity In Corporate SA

Statistics SA reports that women accounted for 43.4 per cent of employed South Africans in the fourth quarter of 2021. However, the fourth edition of the JSE-listed board report by Business Engage Africa reveals that only 26 per cent of board seats in the country’s top 100 listed companies are reserved for women.

In conjunction with the global movement toward achieving gender equality by 2030, South Africa will celebrate this year’s women’s month under the theme: “Generation Equality – Realising Women’s Rights for an Equal Future”.

Two influential female leaders

We pay tribute to two top female business leaders who foster gender parity in their profession.

Equipped with creativity, influence, skills, and courage, these women continue to disrupt the South African workplace by ensuring women and young girls are given equal and fair work opportunities.

B-BBEE Commissioner Zodwa Ntuli was at the forefront of the foundation of the regulatory body established as an entity within the administration of the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (dtic) and mandated to monitor, supervise, and promote adherence to the B-BBEE Act.

Ntuli says the regulatory body was created by legislation in 2013, however, the entity was not created. The government then assigned her to create that entity. She started with zero budget and no office space or staff members.

“Established in 2016, I identified five specific, committed, like-minded women within the dtic, who today make up the commission’s leadership,” says Ntuli.

Despite a lack of resources, the commission has only 20 permanent employees – just 18 per cent of the structure envisaged – but it still manages execute its mandate, which includes providing relevant B-BBEE data to the economy.

Ntuli says creating opportunities for women must be a deliberate act and not something left to chance.

“In 2018, when I took over as deputy director-general in the dtic, I inherited a branch of approximately 100 people with only 30 per cent women representation. In three years, I managed to change that structure, which today boasts 70 per cent women representation.

“We created an environment that protected these women from some of the patriarchal practices through policy changes that ensured they could thrive and were not victimised,” she says.

Parmi Natesan, CEO of the Institute of Directors in South Africa (IODSA), helms an organisation that won Business of the Year in the Top Women Awards last year.

“That recognition is testament to the strides we have made in women empowerment in our business,” says Natesan.

She says in her view, the so-called old boys club is still very prevalent in big business in South Africa, but we are moving in the right direction when it comes to improving the representation of women in board and C-suite positions.

“Female representation on all listed companies in South Africa is currently around 32 per cent, which puts the country among the top 10 in the world – even ahead of many developed countries.

“Having said that, there is still room for improvement, and we should continue with our efforts to drive and achieve gender parity in leadership positions,” says Natesan.

“My power and influence give me a much louder voice to speak up and advocate for the empowerment and equality of women in business in general, and especially in our boardrooms.”

Natesan is a member of the steering committee of the 30% Club in SA and a judge at the annual Gender Mainstreaming Awards. “We also partner on ‘The State of Gender on Listed Company Boards’ research.”

She also regularly advocates for gender diversity on boards through articles and media releases or speaking at events and conferences. “I was also featured in this publication (National Women’s Day magazine) and Empowerment magazine, in which I discussed these important topics,” says Natesan.