Your 'ordinary' heroines
Stories about South Africa's "ordinary" heroines - women who have overcome obstacles to achieve extraordinary things; who have refused to be limited by others' ideas of what is "possible"; who are helping to build a better South Africa.
Nomakula Matiwane-Mrubata
Nomakula Matiwane-Mrubata is a social worker and co-ordinator at St Lukes Khayeltisha Hospice. She formed GAPA (Grandmothers Against Poverty & Aids) an organisation that provides women with basic nursing, business and life skills to enable them to care. Nomakula was a finalist in the Cape Times/V&A Waterfront 2003 Woman of Worth awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Beverley Petersen
Beverley Petersen established Camp Joy, a care and rehabilitation centre in Strandfontein, where she cares for 30 boys and young men who had previously lived on the street. "It brings me such joy to see the real
child coming out - They have their whole life in front of them and they can choose wherever they want to be," says Beverley. She was a finalist in the Cape Times/V&A Waterfront 2003 Woman of Worth awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Rolene Miller
Rolene Miller established Mosaic 10 years ago, an organisation that provides healing, rehabilitation and skills development for abused women. Mosaic community workers and representatives now do work across some 30 communities. Rolene was a finalist in the Cape Times/V&A Waterfront 2003 Woman of Worth awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Maria Solomon
Maria Solomon is foster mother to 14 abused and abandoned children at Solomon's Haven, her home in Mitchell's Plain. "When they come here I don't feel like they belong to someone else. I immediately take them as my
own," says Maria. She was a finalist in the Cape Times/V&A Waterfront 2003 Woman of Worth awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Thozama "Tutu" Gceheme
Thozama "Tutu" Gceheme cares for the aged, and, along with the organisation Ikamva Labantu, she founded the community support system called the Abadala Senior Clubs, where senior citizens now come together for support, care and companionship. She was the winner of the Cape Times/V&A Waterfront 2003 Woman of Worth awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Brenda Wortley
Brenda Wortley is the first chairperson of the newly constituted AMF. She has served on the SAARF board since 1998 and has played a key role on the MIT task team. Brenda negotiated the solution of the Caxton/SAARF impasse and has made critical presentations to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee
on Racism in Industry and was also instrumental in launching Mindshare. She was a finalist in the 2003 Sasol Women in the Media awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Terry Volkwyn
Terry Volkwyn was 702's sales manager, before moving to the position of Primedia Broadcasting group sales director. In 1997, 702 grossed R70-million in revenue. In 1999, Terry was promoted to MD of Highveld and in August 2002, to CEO of Primedia Broadcasting. Highveld's revenue base has grown by 65%, and its profitability by 78%. She has chaired NAB since 2002. Terry was a finalist in the 2003 Sasol Women in the Media awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Elana de Swardt
Elana de Swardt is the first female chair of the MDC. She played a key role in the formulation of the Broadcast Act, and has been instrumental in making positive
changes to LSM, TAMS and RAMS. Elana is the shareholder and group media director of FCB Lindsay Smithers, and is one of the first to have challenged the SABC on demand vs supply pricing models. She was a finalist in the 2003 Sasol Women in the Media awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Patricia Scholtemeyerce
Patricia Scholtemeyerce has been with Media24 magazines since July 2000. She oversees 34 titles with a staff complement of 850 and a combined turnover in excess of R800 million. She is a member of the Naspers Strategic Committee and is also the chairperson of Touchline Media, New Media Published & Alchemy Publishing. She was a finalist in the 2003 Sasol Women in the media awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Felicia Roman
Felicia Roman was appointed MD of Kfm in May 2000, and, according to the
latest RAMS figures, KFM is now one of the top 5 regional radio stations. She has made great inroads into the coloured market and is also driving community projects in the Western Cape. Felicia was a finalist in the 2003 Sasol Women in the Media awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Patti Mcdonald
Patti Mcdonald spent three years at GCIS as chief director. During that time, she managed the redesign of the National Coat of Arms and the Presidential Medals. Patti was the advisor to DACST on the Women?s Monument and the burial of Sarah Baartmann. She co-ordinated discussions between government and industry on racism. During exile, Patti designed and produced ANC and anti-apartheid publications. She was a finalist in the 2003 Sasol Women in the Media awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Bronwyn
Keene-Young
Bronwyn Keene-Young shaped eTV's programme schedule within the context of the industry regulations. She also "muscled the CEO out of international programme acquisitions". Bronwyn manages most of the major functions of the channel and launched MMP before the first elections. At 28, she's the acting CEO of IBA. Bronwyn was a finalist in the 2003 Sasol Women in the media awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Khanyi Dhlomo
Khanyi Dhlomo became editor of True Love in 1994 at the age 22. At the time, the magazine's circulation was below 70 000. Today, the circulation of True Love is around 140 000. Khanyi is the voice for a generation of black women: She was the first black evening newsreader on SABC's TV1 and in 2001, she was the Alumnus of the Year at USB. She was also a finalist in the 2003 Sasol Women in the Media awards.
Submission by: International
Marketing Council of South Africa
Dr Melanie Chait
Dr Melanie Chait returned to South Africa in 1995 as special adviser to the group CE of SABC. She then served as GM of the SABC from 1996 to 1998. In January 2000, Melanie was appointed by President Mbeki to the SABC board. She initiated that production fees be included in budgets and that producers receive a share of the distribution rights. She has also driven the co-treaty between South Africa and Australia, which is a move away from the US model. Melanie was a finalist in the 2003 Sasol Women in the Media awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Nadia Bulbulia
Nadia Bulbulia spent 7 years at the former IBA in the policy development division and as a councillor. She is the Executive Producer of an unprecedented pan-African documentary on HIV/Aids. She also represents Africa at the World Summit
Foundation on Media for Children. Nadia joined ICASA in 2002 for a four-year term and chairs the ICASA committee, dealing with the plight of the disabled in the communications industry. She was a finalist in the 2003 Sasol Women in the Media awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Jane Raphaely
Jane Raphaely founded Fair Lady in 1967. She launched Associated Magazines in 1982, which today is the largest, privately owned publishing house in South Africa, with Cosmopolitan as its flagship. Other magazines owned by Associated Magazines include Femina, Cosmopolitan Fashion, House and Leisure, Baby and Me and Brides and Homes. When Oprah Winfrey decided to launch O Magazine internationally, she selected Associated Magazines as the ideal company to publish O Magazine outside the US. Associated Magazines successfully relaunched Marie Claire in August 2003. Jane has been awarded Businesswoman of the
Year, Media Innovator of the Year and Star Woman of our Time. She established the Shelter for Battered Women in Langa, was instrumental in the making of the "Real Men Don't Rape" campaign, the Men's March and Women Demand Dignity. Jane was the winner of the 2002 Sasol Women in the Media awards.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Cheryl Carolus
Cheryl Carolus is described by those who know and have interviewed her by many adjectives, the common thread running through which is that she gives 200% to whatever she is doing and is a passionately committed livewire, a born leader who works and plays with a driven, enthusiastic zest for life and humanity. In 1990, Cheryl joined the University of the Western Cape as Education Resources and Information Project Staff Development Officer. She was elected full-time member of the ANC National Executive Committee and Head of the Human Development Department of
the National Working Committee in 1991. In 1992, she became the NEC Co-ordinator of ANC policy and was elected Deputy Secretary General of the ANC in 1994. In 1997, she was the Acting Secretary General of the ANC. In 1998-2001 she was the South African High Commissioner to London. She is currently the South African Tourism Chief Executive Officer.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Maria Ramos
Maria Ramos is currently the Director-General for the National Treasury, a position she has held since 1 July 1996. She has overall responsibility within the Department of Finance for International Commercial Financing and Monetary Affairs; International Development Finance; Sectoral Policy and State Debt Management; Macro Fiscal and Economic Planning; Intergovernmental Relations.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Nana
Makaula
Nana Makaula is the CEO of the Films and Publications Board. She has a PhD from Michigan State University. She was Associate Professor in Educational Administration at the University of Transkei from 1991 to 1998, and lecturer in special education at the University of the Witwatersrand for a year. She was a visiting scholar at the Keno University in Japan in 1987. Her community involvement has been extensive: a member of the advisory council of the Internet Content Rating Association, which works on Internet filtering tools for parents for their children; acting chairperson from 1996 of the Transkei Community School Building Trust and trainer of middle managers of the Transkei Road Transport Corporation from 1990 to 1992, amongst other positions. She was listed as one of the 20 Top Women in South Africa by The Sunday Times in 1999. She serves on the Finance and Funding Working Group of the International Marketing Council.
Submission by: International
Marketing Council of South Africa
Salukazi Dakile-Hlongwane
Salukazi Dakile-Hlongwane is executive chairperson of Nozala Investments. She has a masters degree in economics and statistics from the University of Lesotho. From 1977 to 1983 she was senior project officer at the Lesotho National Development Corporation. She was a part-time lecturer in business economics at the Universities of Natal and Lesotho from 1980 to 1982. From 1983 to 1990 she spent time at the Development Bank of Southern Africa as senior loans officer and principal corporation officer. From 1995 to 1996 she was senior manager at First Corporate Merchant Bank. In 1997, she was appointed Assistant General Manager of Specialised Finance at BOE. She is a member of the Development Society of Southern Africa and was a member of the Gender & Development Task Team from 1992-1993. She serves on the Finance and Funding Working Group of the International Marketing Council.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Sibongile Khumalo
Sibongile Khumalo has achieved international fame with her versatile voice, which moves effortlessly from opera to jazz to mbaqanga. She won the South African Women for Women's Performing Arts award this year. She studied violin, singing, drama and dance at school and university. In 1993, she won the Standard Bank Young Artist Award. In 1996, she signed up with Sony SA, releasing her debut album "Ancient Evenings" - a celebration of indigenous South African sounds. Her subsequent releases, "Live at the Market Theatre" in 1998, a live jazz recording, and "Immortal Secrets" in 2000, have been highly successful. She achieved international acclaim singing in concert with the South African National Symphony Orchestra. She continues to perform live, appearing in musicals, concerts and prestigious occasions such as the Two Nations Celebrate concert
hosting Nelson Mandela at the Royal Albert Hall in London this year.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Barbara Masekela
Barbara Masekela, Public Affairs Manager of De Beers, and former South African ambassador to France. An ANC stalwart who joined the organisation in 1961, Barbara spent 27 years in exile in Ghana, Zambia and the United States, where she served as chairperson of the US branch of the ANC. She was an assistant professor at Livingstone College of Rutgers University from 1972 -1982, where she taught English and Women's and African Literature. She was appointed ambassador to France in 1995, and also served as a permanent delegate to Unesco.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri
Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri is Minister for Communications. She has a doctorate in sociology and has taught
at Rutgers University, New Jersey. During a period of exile in the US, she served as a member of the ANC and the ANC Women's League. In a subsequent period of exile in Zambia, she worked for the UN. When she returned to South Africa in 1990, she was appointed executive director of the Education Development Trust. She was also active in the fields of gender, education, economic development and local government. She is a member of the ANC National Executive Committee. She has a number of 'first woman' positions: premier of the Free State, chair of the SABC, board member of Sentech, and board member of CSIR.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Pam Golding
Pam Golding is Chairman of Pam Golding Properties, which she founded in 1976. It has 47 branches and 41 franchises. She is director of Pam Golding Fanchise Services, Golding Commercial, Golding Financial Services, Golding Hotel Investment
Consultants and Pam Golding International. Pam is also an active member of the global business community and member of many institutes and committees. She was 1996/97 Businesswoman of the Year and, in 1998, was selected as one of the STAR Group's Leading 50 Women Entrepreneurs of the World. In 2000, she was invited to join the Women's Leadership Board of the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Irene Charnley
Irene Charnley is the Executive Director of Telecommunications at Johnnic and Commercial Director of M-Cell. She also serves on the boards of Johnnic Holdings, Johnnic Communications, Orbicom, MTN, M-Net and Metropolitan Life. Irene was elected Businesswoman of the Year in August 2000, in recognition of her entrepreneurship and contribution to the success of transforming Johnnic from an industrial conglomerate to a focused media, entertainment and
telecommunications group. Irene was also influential in ensuring that Johnnic became the controlling shareholder in M-Cell.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. She earned a BSc in Zoology and Botany at the University of Zululand and studied medicine at Natal University. She was a leading figure in the black consciousness movement. In 1976 she fled the country and completed her medical degree at the University of Bristol, while working for the ANC. She served as minister of health from 1994 to 1999.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Wendy Luhabe
Wendy Luhabe featured in the Sunday Times in 1999 as one of the 20 most powerful women in South Africa who will lead the country into the new millennium. She is the Chairperson of Bridging
the Gap, a human resources and development company which she formed in 1991. In 1994, she founded the Women Investment Portfolio Holdings, now listed on the JSE with a market value of almost R1 billion. In 1997, Wendy was recognised by the WEF in Switzerland as a "Global Leader for Tomorrow" and by the Osaka Junior Chamber of Commerce in Japan as the "Outstanding Young Person". In 1999 she was nominated by the STAR Group in Los Angeles as "One of 50 Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World". Wendy serves as a non-executive director on the boards of Telkom, Tiger Oats, the Industrial Development Corporation, Cycad Financial Holdings, Southern Africa Funds and Vodacom. She is now the Chairperson of the International Marketing Council.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Yvonne Johnston
Yvonne Johnston was voted best local speaker and second best speaker overall at a Financial Mail Conference. She was
the Chairman of the Media Directors Circle in 1988 and voted Top Media Director in the country by PMR Magazine. She has judged the SA Magazine awards and the Caxton Press Awards. Currently, she is the CEO of the International Marketing Council.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Zanele Situ
Zanele Situ, Olympic gold medalist, became paralysed from her fourth vertebra down at age 11, after contracting a suspected TB infection that confined her to a wheelchair with spina bifida. Despite her misfortune, Zanele believed she could still be what she wanted to be. Today, she is the javelin and discus athlete who became the first black South African to win an Olympic gold medal at the paraplegic games, at the Sydney Paralympic Games 2000. She broke the world Paralympics record in javelin by over 3 metres.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Natalie du Toit
Natalie du Toit is a one-legged South African swimmer who became the first disabled swimmer in history to compete in the open Commonwealth Games final and to be named the Most Outstanding Athlete. At 18 years old, she won gold in the 50m and 100m disabled freestyle swimming events, breaking two world records. And in a Games first, she also made the final of the able-bodied 800m swimming event where she swam a personal best. Natalie achieved all of this following a motorcycle accident two years before, in which she lost her left leg above the knee. She spent two weeks in hospital - one in intensive care - but three months later she was back in the pool training again.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Marsha Gabriel
Marsha Gabriel was medically boarded in 2001 due to a major spine operation. She served the SA Post Office as Postmistress for 10 years. In 2002
she founded an organisation called the Helping Hand Network - caring for the orphans and under-privileged, HIV/Aids victims.
People call her the Oprah of South Africa. With her marketing abilities and her passion for under-privileged children, she works tirelessly raising funds to renovate orphanages, and distributes food products to over 50 organisations (hospitals, clinics, schools, orphanages, community projects) per month.
Her aim is to build this nation one child at a time, causing them to live at champion level and maximising their potential. Her drive, determination, passion and commitment in advancing the under-privileged and breaking the shackles of economic hardship has clothed, fed and blessed almost 20 000 families.
There are very few people in life of whom I'm so rhapsodic and Marsha Gabriel is one of them. A woman among women ... Marsha, I salute you.
Submission by: Anonymous, KwaZulu-Natal
Bobbi
Boswell
Studied part-time, full-time job and full-time mom, completed her masters degree and was awarded a scholarship to complete her doctorate in the USA in gender studies.
Submission by: Celeste Kleinsmith, Bellville, Cape Town
Thana Pienaar
Thana Pienaar is the principal of Prestige College, a private school that has catered for black children in the Hammanskraal area north of Pretoria. She is truly a visionary, and has provided such leadership and innovation that the pupils of this school have achieved incredible feats, such as winning the nationwide technology olympiad, which earned them a ticket to London. The choir has twice been invited to tour New Zealand and to attend school at the prestigious St Andrews' College.
Long before the onset of outcomes-based education, the teachers of this school had been trained in courses such as co-operative learning, with an emphasis on skills and not content.
Pupils are educated in cognitive education, and programmes such as De Bono's CORT programme and the incredible COGNET have been part of the curriculum for many years.
This school is in the middle of nowhere, yet it offers adventure courses, houses a fantastic technology centre, two computer centres with computer-aided instruction, and a facility where students and also the community can gain an internationally recognised computer diploma. It also has a restaurant where the students who study hotel and catering can develop their skills.
Not only is this school in partnership with leading universities, it also has developed and trained the schools in the local community and managed to obtain several sponsorships of books and materials from organisations such as Eskom, Anglo-American and others to assist the development of the local schools and their pupils.
I applaud Thana Pienaar for her belief in the people of this country and her vision that she has managed to
turn into reality.
Submission by: Elmarie Westerink, Pretoria
Grace Masuku, community worker and traditional environmentalist
Grace "Meiki" Masuku is a 71-year-old conservationist from Moruleng, North West Province. Apart from calling herself a "traditional conservationist", she is widely regarded as a powerhouse of knowledge on indigenous plants and a giant in sustainable rural development
One of her more prominent initiatives, Podi Boswa - meaning "goat, our inheritance" in SeTswana - was one of eight success stories in sustainable development showcased by the World Conservation Union during the UN WSSD 2002 in Johannesburg.
Podi Boswa started in 2000 when Meiki gathered 50 people to brief them on the potential she saw in goat farming as central to the economic development of her community. To date the project derives up to R2 000 per goat from its meat, skin and milk. The skin is used to produce bags, purses,
belts and other leatherworks; the meat is used to support a thriving catering business, and augments the local community's nutrition; the milk is used for a number of nutritional and cosmetic spin-offs.
Podi Boswa has been hailed as a model that combines the power of indigenous knowledge and the value of natural resources to provide a sustainable livelihood for over 1000 people in some 30 villages around Moruleng.
Other projects include gardening, where Masuku has advised pensioner Lethibedi Molefe to put his farming know-how into good use by starting a food garden. This has seen his family and community benefit greatly from the daily supply of fresh products.
Masuku is also assisting women and a youth groups in stock farming and other gardening projects. She continues to impart traditional medicinal skills to the youth by teaching them about cures and remedies of various diseases and conditions. In addition, she teaches traditional methods of sustainable
harvesting and the value of certain plants.
Masuku is also passionate about herbal chemistry. She has harvested herbs for medicinal use for almost every disease one can think of for over 20 years. Using unique methods, she and Sebola, her associate, have managed to sustain their resources throughout all the years of harvesting.
Masuku's efforts to pull her people out the grasp of poverty have not gone unnoticed. Among many other awards, she won the Ma-Afrika Award in 2001
Submission by: Skhu Xinwa, Johannesburg
Penny Jones
A BA Fine Arts graduate from the University of Cape Town, Penny Jones is an international award winner in the field of Drill Team. In 1990 she established Drill Team SA in order to encourage and promote young previously disadvantaged South African performers in Drill and Dance. This organisation grew to include nine provinces, approximately 60 000 performers and more than 2 000 teams. Due to the
lack of ongoing funding, her input in this fledgling sporting activity was discontinued in 1997.
She continued her groundbreaking work in the communities and extended her work with volunteers through her dedication to mass display choreography and logistics. She was an official observer at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Opening Ceremony, co-ordinated all the ceremonies for the Cape Town 2004 Olympic bid, staged the mass displays for the 2006 World Cup Soccer logo launch, and produced the 1999 7th All Africa Games opening and closing ceremonies.
For three months prior to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she played an integral part as a key participant in the production of the opening and closing ceremonies in the choreography team. As executive producer, she produced the February 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 opening ceremony, where she worked with over 4 500 volunteers from all walks of life.
Penny is rated among the best stadium theatre producers and mass display
choreographers in the world, and will be participating in the production of the 2004 Athens Olympics opening and closing ceremonies.
Submission by: Ken Annandale, Cape Town
Gugu Zulu
In 1978, Gugu Zulu, from Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal, was diagnosed with an acute form of rheumatoid arthritis, a condition that shut down all sensation in the lower part of her body and confined her to a wheelchair. New to the world of quadriplegics, Zulu was expected to perform on a totally different, yet limited, level in the same environment.
Her struggles made her aware of the immense difficulties people with disabilities face every day. To meet these challenges, Zulu started the Zimasiza Society for the Disabled.
Zimasiza ensures that, through education, skills training and formal employment, people with disabilities can become more active members of the able-bodied world - while teaching communities to be more considerate of the
challenges facing people with disabilities. Today, Zimasiza has 115 members, 36 of whom are in full-time employment.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Fhatuwani Ramabulana
In 1985, Fhatuwani Ramabulana left her teaching job to start a poultry farm. Today that farm has an annual turnover of R4-million, and her 80 000 chickens produce eggs in the thousands every day.
Fhatuwani has helped create 55 jobs, and trains members of the Wamondo community in Limpopo province in good farming practice. She also sponsors the local football team, and provides holiday employment for the village's school children.
Last year, Fhatuwani was the overall and business category winner in the Shoprite Checkers / SABC3 Woman of the Year competition.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Anna Mofokeng
Anna Mofokeng was a shack
dweller in Ivory Park, an informal settlement near Olifantsfontein. After a storm washed away a nearby shack, Anna set out to ensure that such a tragedy never befell her own family.
Instead of waiting for handouts from the government, Mofokeng and six friends started putting away R3.50 a day. Each week they used their savings to buy bricks, and started building. After a month they had completed a wall, then a room, and eventually an entire house with a proper foundation - and so began the Masisizane Women's Club.
With training from the department of labour, the Club has built over 300 houses in Thembisa and Soweto, and has grown to include 4 500 members around Gauteng.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
Nancy Rakotoa
Nancy Rakotoa came second in the 2002 National Female Farmer of the Year competition. A former farm labourer who was retrenched in 1994, and a mother of four with only a
standard four education, Rakotoa had no intention of becoming another statistic of poverty and unemployment.
With a loan and a small piece of land donated by her former employer, she started to grow flowers. Her small plot has blossomed into an enterprise that is active in the Pretoria flower market, ensuring that she and her family are well looked after and creating jobs for over 10 people.
Submission by: International Marketing Council of South Africa
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