City manager aims to empower women

The city manager of Ekurhuleni, Dr Imogen Mashazi, pledged to absorb women from various departments into her programme dubbed the Uniformed Female Officers in Community Safety Legacy Project, during its relaunch on September 2.

The project was established by the city manager in 2017 aiming to empower female officials in the EMPD and Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS).

In the programme, Mashazi grants female officials an opportunity to improve their academic records and take up senior positions in their line of duty.

According to the city manager, when she first started the project she only focused on empowering women in only two departments, but now she is expanding the programme to empower more women in various departments of the metro.

“I wanted to change the status quo in our region when I initiated this programme and it has yielded good results. A lot of female officials are in senior positions in the two departments since I initiated the programme.

“My main objective now is to grant more women in various departments of the metro an opportunity to study further and get training so they can take up senior positions. I believe women were oppressed and segregated in the past and my mission is to end that in my tenure as the city manager.”

The current spokesperson of the EMPD, Chief Superintendent Kelebogile Thepa, said if it wasn’t for the programme, she wouldn’t be in the position she is in now.

“I would like to thank the city manager for giving me this opportunity to give my testimony. This programme has played a very important role in my life. It has propelled me to improve my academic qualifications. We need more programmes like this one that are empowering women.”

Busiswe Mazibuko says, “I was not interested in doing any course, but when I was introduced to the city manager’s programme I considered doing other courses in the disaster and emergency management services fraternity.

“I would like to thank our city manager for giving us an opportunity to improve our academic qualifications as officials of the City of Ekurhuleni.

“She opened the doors for us. I studied the rescue technician advanced course and also a lifesaver course. Currently, I’m part of the firefighters’ rescue technicians team. In the past, as women, we were not allowed to be part of the special task unit that I’m in now. I thank our city manager for making it possible,” said Mazibuko.

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