July 2022, Cape Town – South African e-Commerce leader, Takealot Group, has announced its sponsorship of the GirlCode hackathon, taking place 6-7 August 2022.
Happening during Women’s Month in South Africa, the hackathon’s theme “Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights for an Equal Future” draws on a global campaign to achieve gender parity by 2030. Support for the GirlCode hackathon forms part of the Group’s socio-economic development initiatives, and aims to empower young women with critical coding skills needed to master careers of the future.
“Increasing representation of women in tech is an important way to create brilliant career opportunities. But even more so, encouraging this sector also improves the ability of South Africa’s entire technology industry to innovate and rise to meet the needs of our society and the African continent. This aligns with the Group’s commitment to transform South Africa’s digital landscape while ensuring gender equality as a way to fully empower and unlock the country’s potential,” says Nomaxabiso Teyise, Takealot Group, Head of Diversity, Transformation and Inclusion
This is the second hackathon supported by Takealot Group, with support from Group companies takealot.com, Mr D Food and Superbalist. The Group will be funding over R200 000 worth of laptops, tablets, earphones and vouchers for winners, and spot prizes on the day.
Addressing inequality through empowerment
With South Africa’s youth unemployment rate sitting at roughly 42%, the need to tackle this urgent crisis grows by the day. At the Takealot Group, over 75% of our employees are under 35 years old and we strive to maintain this ratio while finding ways to continue breaking the chain of inequality in SA.
This helps drive support for initiatives like the GirlCode hackathon. As a proudly South African company, Takealot Group is committed to making a positive impact for the greater good, by leveraging innovative technology and knowledge to create an inclusive digital future for all South Africans.
“We need to make sure that we not only create an inclusive working environment, but encourage this throughout the industry as a whole. Our aim is to create a place for all South Africans to thrive irrespective of gender,” says Teyise.
Visit GirlCode hackaton’s website to learn more.
