Gender Mainstreaming

12 September 2024: Media Release: Garden Route District Municipality Hosts Violence and Harassment Capacity Building Workshop

Media Release: Route District Municipality Hosts Violence and Harassment Capacity Building Workshop

12 September 2024

Yesterday, the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) hosted a Violence and Harassment Capacity Building Workshop at the Protea King George Hotel in George. The workshop was attended by Councillors, Union and Labour Relations Representatives, Human Resource officials and senior management of GRDM. The focus of the workshop was on raising awareness, development of policies, and implementation strategies to address violence and harassment in the workplace.

The workshop was organised by the Western Cape Provincial Government (WCG) Department of Local Government: External Human Rights Specifically Project (DLG-HRD) and the WCG Commission for Gender Equality (CGE). It was opened with a welcoming address by GRDM Speaker, Ald. Georlene Wolmarans, who expressed her appreciation for the informative and engaging discussions.

The purpose of the workshop was to foster collaboration and partnership between local government entities and the GRDM by promoting gender equality through gender mainstreaming programs. They emphasised the need for a collective approach involving workers, labour union representatives, and employer/employee representatives to ensure the successful implementation of a comprehensive Violence and Harassment Policy.

Workshop Discussions and Highlights

The workshop featured discussions on the barriers to implementing a Violence and Harassment Policy within organisations. Participants were encouraged to propose fair procedures for reporting incidents, conducting disciplinary hearings, and establishing the necessary structures to ensure fairness and equality in policy enforcement. Speakers also highlighted the successes and challenges faced by the municipality in addressing violence and harassment, and the need for proactive and reactive approaches to policy implementation.

Calvyn Scheepers, GRDM Human Resources Assistant Manager, provided an update on the progress made regarding the amendment and development of the GRDM Violence and Harassment Policy. After that, representatives from DLG-HRD and CGE discussed various topics, including violence and harassment and the importance of having such a policy.

Anele Mgubasi, Commissioner at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) delivered a comprehensive presentation on policy implementation and its impact in the workplace. Key topics included:

employer obligations,
disciplinary procedures,
consequences of policy implementation, and
advice on the roles needed to address workplace violence and harassment effectively.

Leonard Macakati, from CGE, also presented guiding principles on the prevention, elimination, and management of harassment, as well as procedures for reporting such incidents.

During her closing remarks, Cllr Nompumelelo Ndayi, Portfolio Chairperson of Corporate Services, emphasised the importance of collective action: “I was honoured to be present here today. I’ve learned so much. Let us leave this room as collective champions for gender equality. Let us find new ways to do more, together, to accelerate progress and strengthen our partnerships. And let us make the case, powerfully, for gender equality.”

The GRDM remains committed to fostering a safe and inclusive work environment for all its employees and stakeholders.

Highlights of the attendees and activities during the workshop.

Did you know:

Gender Mainstreaming is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. The goal of gender mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality.

Gender Equality means that the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of individuals will not depend on whether they are born male or female. Equality does not require that girls and boys, women and men be the same or that they be treated exactly alike. Equality involves ensuring that the perceptions, interests, needs and priorities of women and men (which can be very different because of the differing roles and responsibilities of women and men) will be given equal weight in planning and decision-making.

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Leave no one behind through Gender Transformation

The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) presented a programme about Gender Mainstreaming (equality, empowerment and transformation) on 7 and 8 November to Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM) council and administration. The objectives of the programme were to provide support, to advise and capacitate GRDM about issues of gender transformation. The Commission is a Chapter 9 Constitutional Human Rights State Institution, which seeks to ensure a drive towards the successful implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal relating to Gender Equality (5^th goal). South Africa and all other participating states have to localise this goal by defining, implementing and monitoring strategies at a local level to achieve targets.

Attendees of the Gender Mainstreaming Programme on 7 November, front (fltr): Cllr Luzuko Tyokolo, Mr Leonard Macakati, Cllr Isaya Stemela (Portfolio Chairperson: Corporate Services). Middle (fltr): Theresia Van Rensburg, Cllr Rosina Ruiters (Deputy Executive Mayor), Ms Trix Holtzhausen (Executive Manager: Corporate Services), Cllr Erica Meyer (Portfolio Chairperson: Strategic Services), Ms Shandré Abrahams (Employee Assistance Practitioner). Back row (fltr): Cllr Barend Groenewald (Speaker), Cllr Ryk Wildschut and Cllr Bernardus van Wyk. (Not pictured: Mr Mzukisi Cekiso (IDP Manager), Cllr Joslyn Johnson (Portfolio Chairperson: Property Management & Development) and Cllr Liza Stroebel).

Leonard Macakati, an Educator from The Commission for Gender Equality presented the Gender Mainstreaming Programme. During his presentation, he specifically emphasised the importance of Gender Forums within municipalities. He then debunked the myth that many believe Gender Forums should consist of only women. “Gender Forums should include people of all genders, disabled people, members of the LGBT community and youth,” he said.

Leonard Macakati from the Commission for Gender Equality presented a Gender Mainstreaming Programme at Garden Route District Municipality on 7 and 8 November 2019.

Macakati later shared the goals of Gender Mainstreaming, which are to:

institutionalise gender equality and equity through gender mainstreaming;
transform institutions simultaneously to sensitise gender equality and equity into the Integrated Development Plans, policies internally and externally; and
recognise the effective participation of women in all municipality programs and levels of Local Government.

Once gender equality issues are included in Integrated Development Planning processes, budgeting, service delivery/policy implementation, reporting, monitoring and evaluation processes, it will help municipalities achieve gender-mainstreaming goals. Attaining these goals will ensure that there is a shift in each municipality’s culture – making everyone more gender-sensitive.

The second presentation took place on 8 November 2019 where employees had a chance to interact with the facilitator on gender mainstreaming.

The Employee Assistance Practitioner of GRDM, Ms Shandré Abrahams, who is also one of the key drivers of Gender Mainstreaming at GRDM, after the two-day session, said: “Many employees expected the workshop to only focus on women, but in actual fact, gender is a multidimensional concept and gender has many dimensions or facets related to each other in multiple ways.”

Later this month on 25 – 26 November 2019, GRDM, in collaboration with the South African Police Service and the Western Cape Government Department of Community Safety will host a Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Summit in George. Stakeholders will formulate an actionable plan to combat and eventually try to reduce social ills facing society.