Women in Infrastructure Dialogue: Turning Representation into Power, Ownership and Leadership

As Women’s Month draws to a close, the University of Venda (UNIVEN), led by the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture (FSEA) and the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) have ended the month with a powerful call to action: women must move beyond representation in South Africa’s infrastructure sector to become influential decision-makers, owners, innovators, and leaders.

In the picture: Group photo of the audience

The message emerged strongly during the Women in Infrastructure Dialogue 2026, hosted by MISA in partnership with the FSEA as part of MISA’s Women’s Month programme. The dialogue brought together women professionals, industry experts, municipal officials, academics and students to confront the persistent gender imbalance in the infrastructure and built environment sectors and identify practical pathways for change.

Prof Natasha Potgieter

Welcoming delegates, Prof Natasha Potgieter, Executive Dean of UNIVEN’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, emphasised that infrastructure is about far more than physical structures.

Roads, water systems, energy, transportation and connectivity are essential foundations for sustainable communities and economic development. Yet, despite the growing contribution of women across the sector, gender disparities remain.

Prof Potgieter challenged universities, industry partners and infrastructure leaders to move beyond conversations about inclusion and commit to measurable interventions, including mentorship, sponsorship, scholarships, bursaries, internships and opportunities for women to occupy technical and leadership positions. She urged young women and emerging professionals to be bold in pursuing careers that will help address pressing challenges such as climate resilience, sustainable energy, water security and digital transformation.

Ms Mapatane Kgomo, CEO of MISA

Delivering the keynote address, Ms Mapatane Kgomo, CEO of MISA, reinforced the message that infrastructure is ultimately about people, dignity, economic opportunity and sustainable development. She highlighted challenges confronting municipalities, including ageing infrastructure, maintenance backlogs, skills shortages, rapid urbanisation, climate-related disasters and limited technical capacity.

Kgomo also drew attention to the continued underrepresentation of women in engineering and infrastructure-related professions, where barriers include inadequate mentorship, workplace bias, unequal access to leadership opportunities and limited access to funding and procurement opportunities.

She highlighted MISA’s eff orts to build a pipeline of young women through bursaries, graduate programmes, mentorship, professional registration support and skills-development initiatives.

MISA has supported 39 UNIVEN students, including 27 women, while 24 supported students have participated in its graduate programme. Significantly, 18 have already attained professional registration, with women accounting for 87% of those professionalised graduates.

“These figures demonstrate the value of creating deliberate pathways for women to enter, develop and advance within the infrastructure sector,” the dialogue emphasised. Women, Kgomo stressed, should not be viewed merely as participants, but as innovators, engineers, entrepreneurs, project managers and leaders whose contributions are essential to building inclusive, sustainable and resilient municipalities.

Prof Lutendo Murulana

The Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Postgraduate Studies, Prof Lutendo Murulana, called for greater representation of women in infrastructure and engineering, particularly in spaces where fi ancial, construction and strategic decisions are made. He urged emerging women professionals to believe in their capabilities, take their rightful place at decision-making tables and lead with integrity.

Prof Murulana further reaffirmed UNIVEN’s commitment to women’s advancement, pointing to the University’s Strategic Plan 2026–2030 and Vision 2040, which prioritise human-capacity development and the advancement of women into strategic leadership, senior management and academic positions. He also highlighted UNIVEN’s ambition to become an entrepreneurial university where graduates are equipped not only to seek employment but to create employment and contribute to addressing unemployment.

The first dialogue session confronted the realities of women’s underrepresentation across infrastructure planning, technical delivery, contracting, procurement and leadership. Panel discussions highlighted barriers faced particularly by women contractors and emerging professionals, including limited access to major contracts, inadequate financial resources, procurement challenges and weak professional networks. Women-owned businesses, speakers noted, too often remain subcontractors instead of progressing to become main contractors.

In the picture: Speakers, panel members and moderators of the dialogue

The dialogue therefore called for more meaningful opportunities through joint ventures, supplier-development programmes, mentorship, technical support and improved access to procurement and fi nance. The objective is not simply to increase the number of women participating in infrastructure, but to enable them to build track records, grow sustainable businesses and lead major infrastructure projects.

A central message emerging from the discussions was unequivocal: women’s participation must translate into influence, ownership and leadership.

The second dialogue shifted the focus towards building a stronger pipeline for women and young professionals, highlighting the importance of skills development, workplace exposure, professional registration, innovation, enterprise development and leadership. Participants stressed that the journey should begin at school and university and continue through workplace learning, professional development and leadership in municipalities, public agencies, academia and the private sector.

The gap between academic qualifi cations and the practical experience demanded by the infrastructure sector was also placed under the spotlight. Within UNIVEN’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, women account for approximately 35% of representation, underscoring the need for continued eff orts to strengthen women’s participation in the academic and technical pipeline.
Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) was identified as an important intervention for exposing students to real workplace environments before graduation. Participants also called for municipalities to prioritise technical personnel, fi ll vacant engineering and planning positions, provide adequate infrastructure and asset-management budgets, and strengthen pathways that move graduates from internships through mentorship and professional registration.

For young women entering the profession, the message was equally clear: qualifications must be complemented by practical experience, professional registration and strong mentorship. MISA’s graduate programme was highlighted as an example of how workplace exposure, mentorship and professional development can help young graduates progress towards professional registration and long-term careers.

As Women’s Month comes to a close, the Women in Infrastructure Dialogue leaves behind a message that extends well beyond the month’s commemorations. Gender transformation cannot remain confined to speeches, policies or annual celebrations. It must be measured in the number of women who gain access to opportunities, secure major contracts, enter technical professions, occupy leadership positions, own businesses and influence the decisions that shape communities.

The dialogue has therefore set a clear challenge for government, municipalities, universities, industry and professional bodies: turn commitment into action and representation into real power, ownership and leadership. For UNIVEN and MISA, the next chapter is not simply about creating space for women in infrastructure, it is about ensuring that women have the resources, networks, skills and opportunities to shape the future of the sector.

In the picture: Dignitaries from MISA pose for a photo with UNIVEN Staff led by the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, Prof Natasha Potgieter

In the picture: UNIVEN Malende group entertaining the audience

Issued by:
Department of Marketing, Branding and Communication University of Venda
Tel: 082 868 2218 / 082 868 1811