Nonkululeko Gobodo Became SA’s 1st Black Female Chartered Accountant Despite Teen Pregnancy and Facing Racism
- Nonkululeko Gobodo made history when she became South Africa's first black female chartered accountant during apartheid
- The inspiring businesswoman spoke to Briefly News about her upbringing and how negative comments from her mother led her to believe she wouldn't amount to anything in life
- Discovering her passion for accounting and auditing opened a world of opportunities for Nonkukulelo's career, and she is now helping and empowering other women to do the same
- Nonkululeko has been named one of Briefly News 2022 Women of Wonder thanks to her amazing strides in her career and resilience to overcome various adversities
Having grown up a shy and insecure young girl in the Eastern Cape’s Mthatha township, Nonkululeko Gobodo had no way of knowing she would one day make history as South Africa's first black-qualified chartered accountant in 1987.
In an exclusive interview, Gobodo told Briefly News that even her mother was worried about whether she had what it took to make it in life. Her mother's view lead Nonkululeko to believe that false truth about herself.
Source: Instagram
Nonkululeko falls pregnant at 17 and discovers her love for accounting
According to SABC News, she fell pregnant at the age of 17. Speaking to Briefly News, Tumi said:
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"I had to take a gap year and ended up working at my father's panel beating shop where I was working for the first time and exposed to racism and sexism for the first time.
"I was able to stand up to my father's white managers who were big bullies.
"I was also able to catch on when I was being taught bookkeeping and I realised that I was not this thing that my mother said I was.
"That I was actually strong and smart. Within no time I was an effective member of the team. That changed my whole life," Nonkululeko explained.
Nonkululeko shared how that was a turning point in her life and that she knew what she wanted to do with her life moving forward, despite her parents' expectation of her studying medicine.
Forbes South Africa also stated that her father always wanted his children to be free-thinkers.
"I wanted to be a chartered accountant because I was exposed to accounting and auditing through the auditors who were my father's auditors in that business," she told Briefly News.
Nonkululeko admits that she also realised and learned how important it was to believe in oneself. That, after being told for years how she wouldn't amount to anything, severely affected her self-worth.
But after being exposed to an opportunity to learn and grow, the successful businesswoman gained a whole different perspective on life.
She made history and has since been on the board of major companies such as Shoprite, previously headed her accounting firm Nkululeko Leadership Consulting and is now the CEO of Awakened Global.
Source: Instagram
Nonkululeko shares who inspires her
Nonkululeko is inspired by Tsakane Maluleke, South Africa's auditor-general.
She was the first woman to hold this position in the supreme audit institution's 109-year history. Maluleke was also the first female deputy auditor-general.
"She is one of those people I have watched give her all into any role she plays throughout her career. I saw how she persevered despite the many challenges and criticisms she faced. I watched all that in great admiration."
Nonkululelo believes every woman should know herself and be authentic
Nonkululeko upholds that every woman who wants to change the world for the better must know themselves:
"Women have grown up in a society where they have been considered inferior and that they do not belong in certain positions or boardrooms.
"The women of today need to be their authentic selves in their respective positions without having to constantly fight to be heard or match up to their male counterparts.
"If we compromise or abandon ourselves, we are not going to change anything."
Life after being a chartered accountant
Although Gobodo felt she had done and contributed all she could on her part in the accounting profession, after retiring, Nonkululeko couldn't shake off the desire to "do more."
Awakened Global was born, a movement addressing the scourge of racism and prejudice against women.
"I really wanted to dedicate my life to this movement which in summary is a call to action to black people and women to rise up to who they really are and to hold their authentic power.
"As much as protest action and activism has achieved a lot, we need another parallel process.
"One where women and black people can invest in finding their true selves and release themselves from the myths that have been created around them.
"This way, they can contribute to society to their fullest because they deserve to," said the inspirational woman who continues to mentor and support aspiring go-getters in whatever way she can.
Briefly News 2022 Women of Wonder aims to inspire women
Briefly News wants to celebrate the female changemakers of 2022 by honouring a few influential, inspiring women.
The team looked for women who made a success despite some tough challenges they faced in their respective sectors.
Our goal is the create inspirational content that shows our audience what the embodiment of a resilient and strong South African woman is.
Briefly News wants to motivate other women to go beyond their limits.
If you want to participate in our next special project or want to be featured in one of Briefly News' women empowerment articles, please email contact@briefly.co.za with Women Empowerment in the subject line.
Inspiring post about woman obtaining chartered accounting certificate has South Africans wowed
In another story, Briefly News reported that a stunner from Cape Town had social media users wowed after posting a snap of her South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) certificate that she earned through sheer grit and determination. What a wow!
The brilliant young accountant expressed her pride in the incredible milestone and thanked God for helping her along the way.
@Aphiwe_eZintle shared the pic of her certificate next to a glass of wine, probably to chillax after the stressful journey that led to her bagging the qualification.
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Source: Briefly News
