Newscenter Media News A milestone in South Africa’s journey towards an inclusive defence environment was witnessed at the recent South African Women in Defence (SAWID) Breakfast, held at Saab Grintek Defence in Centurion.
Under the theme “Breaking Barriers, Unlocking Opportunities, and Shaping an Inclusive Defence Industry,” the event brought together women defence professionals, senior government officials, defence industry leaders, and other stakeholders to craft a path forward for gender equality in the national security sector.
A clarion call for change
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of Chief Defence Intelligence, Lieutenant General Thalitha Mxakato, Major General Zuziwe Maso, Chief Directorate: Transformation Management, started off by saying, “It is an honour and a privilege to stand before you this morning in the company of women who are rewriting history – women who are refusing to shrink in the face of legacy systems.”
She said that South African women, particularly those in the defence, maritime, and aerospace community, have never waited for somebody to open the door for them. They have made the hinges, cut the keys, and forged the future themselves.
Maso highlighted that SAWID was not created out of comfort or convenience – but out of urgency and necessity to shake up a system where patriarchal standards have long set opportunity.
SAWID’s platform was not created in consensus, nor in comfort, she said. “It was created because it had to be – because the dominant culture in our sector has, for too long, excluded and marginalised women.”
Reading Mxakato’s draft speech, Maso spoke about the figures that confirm the ongoing gender imbalance in South Africa’s defence sector: “Women-owned businesses comprise less than 10% of suppliers and service providers in the broader defence sector. Within defence-related boards, councils, and top command structures, patriarchal mindsets and gatekeeping approaches still decide who is at the table. That is why SAWID exists.”
Mxakato’s words contextualised SAWID not as symbolic gesture, but as strategic instrument of structural change. “SAWID is a platform that aims to unlock access, build capability, drive procurement equity, and enable leadership visibility.”
“It is both a mirror and a map – a mirror that reflects to us our current exclusions, and a map that guides us to a transformed, inclusive future.”
From words to action
Prioritising a succession of interventions, Maso promised SAWID’s action, not words: “We are vehemently pursuing procurement equity through quotas for women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMMEs); pipeline skills flows from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education to defence engineering; strategic public-private partnerships with state-owned companies and women-owned businesses and enforced application of existing transformation policies,” she stated.
Legislation, however, is not enough to spur inclusion, she cautioned – culture must change as well as regulation.
“Culture is not what we talk about – it’s what we reward, what we tolerate, and what we enforce. Let us build a culture that encompasses, empowers, and lifts,” she said.
Referring to Alice Walker, she reminded the audience: “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. To every woman in this room and all those outside these walls: You are powerful. You are needed. You are welcome.”
“We fully support the initiatives of our partners – nationally, regionally, continentally, and internationally – to stand in solidarity and break beyond traditional norms that prevent the full, equal, and full participation of women at all levels,” she said.
She cited contributions by institutions like the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, and ACCORD, mirroring coordination with international standards like UN Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.
“It is true that more women create more effective peacekeeping,” Maso quoted UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
“Gender equality is not a favour. It is a constitutional imperative, a moral imperative, and a national principle.”
Saluting trailblazers and architects of change
Lieutenant General (Ret) Zimpande ‘Zakes’ Msimang, Chairperson of the Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD), delivered a vote of thanks, said: “Today has not been another day on the calendar. It has been a milestone day. A lighthouse on a shoreline that for too long has been marked by fog.”
“This engagement has made it clear: Women must not only be invited to the table – they must be resourced, respected, and empowered to lead.”
He had particular gratitude to programme director Sindi Mndaweni for her “grace, strength, and effortless command,” and also thanked behind-the-scenes workers such as Michelle Nxumalo, Retsibile Sekhukhune, and Dr Khulile Mtsetfwa.
Sponsors DCD Protected Mobility, Fimm Tech, Swatek, GC2T, YDS, and Twiga were thanked, as well as media partners defenceWeb, SABC, and Defence TV:
“Your trust in this platform, and your investment in empowering women in defence, is not just commendable but inspiring.”
He concluded with some words from Maya Angelou:
“Every time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it maybe, without proclaiming it, she stands up for all women.”
Industry champions speak out
“This day is special, purposeful, and inspiring. I would like to imagine an industry rid of bias, discrimination, and prejudice – an industry where our differences are celebrated and embraced for unity, inclusion, and forward progress,” said Dr Khulile Mtsetfwa of Swatek Defence and Aerospace.
Recalling SAWID founding President Celia Malahlela’s remarks, she noted ongoing systemic opposition: “Women were treated in the defence industry as if they did not exist. Their contributions were often ignored. Their ideas went unrecognised.”
Mtsetfwa called for mentorship, equal promotion, and deliberate leadership training for women.
Drone tech and the future
Queen Ndlovu, CEO and Founder of QP Drone Tech, provided a personal perspective as one of the future leaders in unmanned systems: “I was humbled to be standing among pioneers and giants. I never thought that one day the Defence and Space Agency would be inquiring to purchase our products and services. The future certainly looks extremely bright.’
She praised SAWID and AMD for collective efforts to bring women-owned businesses into procurement.
Institutional memory and future planning
Michelle Nxumalo, DCD Protected Mobility’s International Marketing Manager, outlined the group’s launch in 2014: “SAWID organisation was started by women who recognised the utmost need to address systemic barriers – namely barriers to access at leadership, business engagement, and influence levels.”
Nxumalo explained the initial goals for SAWID: “We seek to advocate for more representation in policy and procurement; enable women with leadership exposure and mentorship; increase the pipeline of talent through STEM engagement and create a durable, supportive community of women professionals.”
“We can’t improve what we can’t measure. With AMD, we will collect statistics on women’s involvement in defence and establish a benchmark for future change.”
Nxumalo’s final words captured the spirit of the day:
“Let’s go from compliance to conviction – from representation to actual power.”
A movement, not a moment
If there were one overriding take-away from the SAWID Breakfast, it was this: change is not an idea – change is actionable, quantifiable, and vital. SAWID is more than a women’s programme. It is an appeal to national responsibility to ensure South Africa’s defence future is just, equitable, and imaginative.
“What we have begun today,” Msimang asserted, “needs to be pursued in boardrooms, factories, policy discussions, and battlefields across this country.”
From Saab’s Centurion factory, a new chapter in defence transformation began – and this time the narrative is being written by women.
The post South African Women in Defence forge new path toward inclusion and leadership appeared first on defenceWeb.