Women encouraged at networking brunch

SIPHELELE NDZAMELA

ABOUT 60 businesswomen from in and around Port Alfred attended a Women's Day brunch at the Royal Port Alfred Golf Club last week.

The brunch was organised by 22-year-old financial adviser Anzelle Pienaar, as an opportunity for local businesswomen to celebrate the historic day and meet to form networks.

Pienaar said the idea was to get women together in an attempt to motivate each other. Through the networks formed during the brunch more opportunities and support would be gained, she said.

One of the guest speakers, Pastor Lucy van Volkenburg of the River Church, spoke on the role women play not just at home but in society as well.

"Take your place, you are an original design,” she said.

The potential of women has been kept underground, she added.

Leticia Greyling, lecturer for business school development at Rhodes University, gave an interesting presentation on the importance of business contributing to economic, social and environmental factors in communities.

Greyling explained that every institution/business should consider all these factors as they are all of great importance in the business world. Another important aspect in business that Greyling spoke about was using sustainability as mechanism for business development and improvement.

Working to achieve eight critical economic, social and environmental developments is a priority by 2015, she said. These goals are: an end to poverty and hunger, universal education, child health, maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, environmental sustainability and goal partnership.

Promoting gender equality is clearly embedded in the millennium development, Greyling said.

Pienaar's topic was "A man is not a financial plan.” She explained a man may be a companion, a lover and a friend, but not a financial plan for a woman.

"A plan is something you create together,” she said. "Women need to be financially educated”.

Pienaar mentioned the challenges women have to go through in the industry and how women are still criticised on their abilities. She said she was also once in that position because of her youth.

Speaker Mrs N Ncokazi from Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) spoke on one of the fundamental aspects of a business, "Think global, act local”.

This encourages the business to think out of the box, she said.

A number of businesswomen were given the opportunity to introduce their businesses to the audience as a marketing platform.