City of Joburg Puts Women at the Centre of Development Planning

As Johannesburg refines its 2025/26 Integrated Development Plan (IDP), the City has put women’s voices at the centre of its strategy-making process. A recent engagement session led by Acting Executive Mayor Margaret Arnolds created space for women to reflect on lived challenges, propose solutions, and assess the City’s progress in addressing inequality.

The City described the event as more than consultation—it was a call to action. “We’re not just planning for communities. We are planning with communities,” said Arnolds, emphasizing the role of women in shaping capital investment priorities and social development policies.

Arnolds said the IDP is increasingly rooted in real-life community needs, with a focus on addressing economic inequality, gender-based violence, and access to housing and skills development. “The challenges are indeed real, but so is our ability to fix what has been broken,” she said. “Now is the time to reframe the Joburg story from what’s broken to what’s becoming.”

The session included discussions on the City’s development strategy and how resource allocation is evolving to reach underserved communities, especially women. Stakeholders were invited to assess the City’s performance and offer input on future policy direction.

Mayoral Committee Member for Group Corporate and Shared Services, Cllr Loyiso Masuku, reinforced the City’s commitment, noting that empowering women is central to service delivery and long-term progress.

Masuku stated that the City views women as key stakeholders, not just in terms of their needs but also their leadership potential. “This session wasn’t just about airing grievances—it was a space for shared solutions,” she said.

The engagement concluded with a call to action, encouraging women to make use of platforms available for business support, innovation, and entrepreneurship development.

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Sourced:City Of Joburg