Pretoria - Deputy Minister of Public Works, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, has invited women contractors to a roundtable discussion of their experiences in the construction industry.
The discussion, which will be held at the Alexandra Sports Centre on Friday, forms part of the department's oversight role as it is tasked with providing strategic leadership to the construction industry.
Bogopane-Zulu said she would like to propose policy guidelines and intervention programmes to mitigate violence against women and their experiences in this male dominated industry.
She said the construction industry needed to create a woman-friendly and gender responsive environment that adds transformation, growth and development value to this sector of the economy.
"As one of its core mandates, our department is tasked with monitoring and promoting the construction and property sectors of the economy.
"I believe that ameliorating lots of women, youth and people with disabilities in this industry is paramount and we need to enhance the profile, image and performance of the construction industry," said Bogopane-Zulu on Thursday.
She also emphasised the need to talk about problems that are hindering transformation in the industry.
Professional bodies and community leaders are expected to attend the meeting.
