Johannesburg - Joburg City Parks and Zoo, the greening entity overseeing parks, nature reserves, street trees, cemeteries and the Joburg Zoo, was shortlisted by the adjudicators as a finalist for the Standard Bank 2020 Top Women in the public sector awards.
The entity subsequently bagged the “highly commended” nomination for being at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic in the City of Joburg.
The nomination was based on JCPZ’s strides in embracing women empowerment and was relative to its emergency response to Covid-19 protocols in parks and cemeteries; prioritising animal well-being. Added to this award was the high-profile surgery of Makokou the gorilla; its efforts to contain runaway seasonal fires and JCPZ’s customer-centric focus during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We believe that now more than ever, it is crucial to recognise the companies and individuals such as Joburg Parks and Zoo, who continue to have proactive business continuity plans to address crisis and thereby make an impactful change in South Africa,” said Topco Media head of marketing, Karla Fletcher.
The Standard Bank Top Women Awards honour those whose unfailing vision and innovative leadership have positively impacted women. The awards were announced on the evening of October 2 at a virtual awards ceremony.
JCPZ was also shortlisted in a second category that nominated member of the mayoral committee (MMC), Margaret Arnolds and managing director, Bryne Maduka, as finalists for the leader in the public sector award.
Arnolds paid tribute to employees at JCPZ who made the award possible.
"Empowering our women is all our jobs and should not be just a box-ticking exercise," she said, adding that "we have a lot more work to do in this regard, but we're working tirelessly to ensure that the safety of women and children, and gender-equality in terms of appointments; pay-gaps and quotas on women-owned service providers, are achieved."
The Star