Sascha-Lee Joseph
As part of the 2025/26 Integrated Development Plan (IDP) review, the City of Johannesburg hosted a dedicated stakeholder engagement session focused on women—offering a platform to voice their challenges and reflect on the City’s response to urgent calls for change. Acting Executive Mayor, Cllr Margaret Arnolds, chaired the session and highlighted how the City is intentionally shaping development strategies, resource allocation, and policy implementation around women’s lived experiences.
“The challenges are indeed real, but so is our ability to fix what has been broken. Now is the time to reframe the Joburg story from what’s broken to what’s becoming. We can only do this if we change the narrative and work together towards being a world-class African City,” she said.
Cllr Arnolds emphasised that the IDP is increasingly shaped by community priorities, with capital expenditure targeted at the forgotten and underserved. She detailed ongoing interventions addressing women’s economic empowerment, access to housing, skills development, and gender-based violence.
While women participants acknowledged ongoing challenges, they also commended the City’s progress and ongoing commitment. Also present was MMC for Group Corporate and Shared Services, Cllr Loyiso Masuku, who assured attendees that women are at the heart of the City’s functionality and future.
“As a City, we take sessions like this very seriously. That’s why, despite conflicting engagements, the executive made it a priority to be here because we recognise the importance of engaging meaningfully with our communities,” she said.
Cllr Masuku added that women are critical stakeholders in society, therefore, women must be given not just a voice, but a platform to be heard, to lead, and to drive change.
“I am encouraged that this session was not only about raising concerns but also about sharing constructive suggestions. That is how we build together. We fully acknowledge that no society or country can achieve meaningful and sustainable progress if women are not emancipated, empowered, and included at every level. The social ills we face affect us all, and they hit especially hard because women are the nurturers in our communities,” she said.
The City closed the session by encouraging women to access platforms for business, innovation, and entrepreneurship support.
SOURCED FROM THE JOBURG WEBSITE.
