Meet SA’s Youngest Attorney, an Environmental Activist Who Killed Russia's R1tn Nuclear Deal & 4 Other Women
South African women possess a unique and admirable strength to defy the odds and injustices stacked against them.
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In this piece we look at the strides made by academics Mamokgethi Phakeng and Dr Judy Dlamini; discover how Nomlayo Mabhena became Mzansi’s youngest attorney; unpack how Melene Rossouw became the lawyers and activist she is today; unearth the drive behind environmental activist Makoma Lekalakala and learn how Vanessa Govender overcame abuse.
A wise woman once said: “A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman.”
South Africa boasts a beautiful and diverse array of such women who have not only overcome many odds and broken the glass ceiling of societal limitations but have also gone on to achieve much greatness.
Source: Original
Briefly News looks at six amazing powerhouses who have been chosen as nominees for Briefly News Women of Wonder 2022 for making a name for themselves in South Africa’s public sector within their different professions.
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1 UCT Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng
University of Cape Town’s Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng is a dynamic woman who has become a household name in South Africa.
Phakeng is popularly known for her historical academic achievement when she became the first black woman in South Africa to hold a PhD in Mathematics Education obtained from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Mamokgethi was born on 1 November 1966 in Eastwood, Pretoria, during the apartheid era. Her family was forcibly relocated under the Group Areas Act, reported Mail&Gaurdian.
Educational performance was instilled by Phakeng’s parents
The VC's parents, Frank and Wendy Mutlana, raised her in Garankuwa with her two siblings and instilled the values of excellency in them from a young age.
"My parents never talked about mathematics hard. There was never a hierarchy of subjects at home. There was only the demand that you had to do well. My dad had a demand to be excellent."
The professor and current Vice-Chancellor at the University of Cape Town has created an illustrious career by wearing many hats and taking on many leadership roles.
Phakeng's notable achievements include being honoured by Forbes in their 2020 list of 50 Most Powerful Women in Africa and being awarded several times for her research work.
2 Witwatersrand VC and businesswoman Dr Judy Dlamini
Born 10 July 1959, Judy Dlamini is a South African businesswoman who founded the Mbekani Group. The 60-year-old is also the Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand.
Dlamini is a medical doctor by training‚ and a leading businesswoman‚ author and philanthropist, RMB reports.
With her husband‚ Sizwe Nxasana‚ the chairperson of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme‚ she founded the Sifiso Learning Group‚ the holding company for Future Nation Schools.
Dlamini is an advocate for women leadership and empowerment
Dlamini also published a book titled; Equal but Different: Women Leaders’ Life Stories, Overcoming Race, Gender and Social Class. The research explores why leadership positions and boardrooms are still predominantly occupied by men Wits Alumni Relations reports.
Source: UGC
She believes that:
“Men need to play a part in changing the status quo and provocatively partner with womenin removing barriers that are stopping women from rising to the top levels of corporate leadership.”
The Wits VC also strongly believes in empowering women through quality education in order to realise their full potential and assume positions of leadership.
The accomplished woman attributes her success to her parents, Wits reports. Her mother was a primary school teacher and her father an entrepreneur. She grew up seeing them work hard and dabble in several ventures and it was their entrepreneurial sprit that inspired her success.
3 SA’s youngest attorney Nomlayo Mabhena
Nomlayo Mabhena took up space in the male-dominated legal field and is thriving while making a difference through her passion.
She made history in South Africa after becoming the youngest black woman attorney admitted as a conveyance at the age of 23.
According to Standard Bank's Top Women, the Pretoria-born attorney was raised in Olievenhoutbosch, a township in Centurion, by her parents, both primary school teachers.
Nomlayo has credited her parents for her tenacious spirit. The attorney said it's thanks to her mom and dad instilling in her the value of hard work and rising above circumstances that she's a success today.
Nomlayo the introvert
Nomplayo said the biggest obstacle she had to overcome in life was being an introvert.
"In professional settings, this can easily be construed as a lack of knowledge in your field, should you not readily speak up in meetings, for example."
"It takes a few tries, and eventually, you find yourself truly expressing yourself without necessarily re-inventing your personality."
Nomlayo believes women need to keep climbing the ladder and breaking historical barriers. Once they reach the top, they must also assist other women to succeed. Speaking of the women who inspire her, she added:
"I am genuinely inspired by working-class women, especially in the low and middle class, who are working to put food on the tables of their families and put their children through school, especially through university.”
Nomlayo believes that it is important to be cognisant of the people who are working to ensure that future generations are more empowered than the last.
4 South African lawyer and human rights activist Melene Rossouw
Internationally acclaimed South African lawyer and human rights activist, Melene Rossouw, is a strong woman who knows what she wants in life.
Melene grew up in Bellville South in Cape Town and has undertaken various roles in the public and private sectors, civil society, and more.
Melene comes from humble beginnings
Melene never allowed her circumstances to limit her dreams despite growing up in poverty with her mom and older sister as a ‘backyard dweller’ in her aunt’s residence.
As a young attorney, she refused to take money from her clients and offered pro-bono services to those who needed it most. Melene is also a staunch activist for women’s rights, and in 2017, she co-founded a non-profit organisation called Women Lead Movement, which advocates for gender equality.
In an exclusive interview with Briefly News, Melene notes that every challenge she has faced only served to help her grow as a person:
“Throughout my life, I have faced innumerable obstacles, but they always instilled in me invaluable life lessons and skills like resilience, courage, and perseverance.”
The human rights activist believes in empowering other women
Melene uses the various platforms she has to empower women and notes that there is a huge need for young ladies to have positive role models.
Additionally, the human rights activist believes that there are various qualities strong women, who want to change the country for the better, should possess:
“They must be ethical and civic-minded, encourage strategic thinking, innovation, take action, garner trust and credibility, possess emotional and social intelligence, and have excellent decision-making capabilities [among other qualities].
“We need to ensure that [young women and girls] access opportunities to unearth their potential and change the trajectory of their lives."
5 Environmental activist Makoma Lekalakala
Makoma Lekalakala is a tenacious environmental activist from Soweto who, together with her colleague, Liz McDaid, stopped the infamous Russian nuclear deal.
Makoma's activism journey started very early on in life, but a particular injustice was what set her firmly on the path to environmental activism. The inconsistent access to electricity in Soweto made it clear that there was so much more to fight for.
How energy inequality propelled Makoma to her calling
Energy inequality is a clear socio-economic issue for South Africa. Still, upon joining Earthlife Africa in 2007, Makoma learned that electricity inequality, similar to other socio-economic problems, is linked to environmental issues.
Fighting the R1 trillion nuclear deal put Makoma on the map It wasn't until the notorious South Africa-Russia Nuclear Agreement that Makoma became an international name in the environmental activism landscape. The deal raised red flags for Lekalakala.
According to the Guardian, the nuclear agreement would have seen South Africa purchasing up to 10 nuclear power stations from Russia to the tune of R1 trillion.
Makoma is an advocate for renewable energy
"I am a strong advocate for renewable energy, which has a low carbon footprint. It was clear that nuclear energy is costly and will take too long to deliver. "We kept asking questions, but the government was not giving us any answers.
"For me, everything around the nuclear deal reminded me of the arms deal, and we did not want another arms deal. That is when we took the government to court."
The court ruled in favour of Makoma and her colleague, Liz McDaid's legal bid, firmly bringing an end to the secret, undemocratic, trillion-rand nuclear deal.
6 Gender-based violence survivor Vanessa Govender
Vanessa Govender, a veteran broadcast journalist and gender-based violence survivor.
At the start of her career, Vanessa Govender was abused by her partner.
After graduating with a diploma in journalism, she landed a job at the SABC, where she met her then-boyfriend and a month into the relationship, the abuse started.
Govender was subjected to physical and emotional abuse that affected her performance as a newsreader. “That relationship was without a doubt the biggest obstacle I ever endured or had to live with.
"All my self-esteem and confidence were sapped from me. I became the cliched abused woman, breaking up with my abuser several times only to go back after he would apologise and promise not to do it again.”
Vanessa says enough is enough, walks away from abusive relationship
After being subjected to violence for years, the journalist decided enough was enough and walked away from her abuser.
Vanessa hopes to emulate the woman she wishes she had in her corner. Breaking her silence about abuse through her book, Beaten but Not Broken, Govender felt empowered as she no longer sought validation from anyone.
Aside from publishing her heart-wrenching story, the talented woman also uses social media to motivate others.
"For far too long abusive men have enjoyed the anonymity and protection of their partners and those around them. "I cannot change the world. I may never see or experience a world in which all girls and women are safe, but I will continue to speak out and speak up for those struggling with this deadly disease of gender violence,” said Govender.
Govender said society and communities must work together to end gender-based violence in the country. The author said women need to relinquish that fear of what people will think or say.
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 to create inspirational content that shows our audience what the embodiment of a resilient and strong South A woman is.
Briefly News hopes 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.
Young lady proud of becoming barrister despite being doubted by many people and facing failures
In a similar story, Briefly News reported that a tenacious young legal practitioner is thrilled about finally becoming a barrister, despite encountering various hurdles along her journey.
The beautiful lady said she was doubted, failed an exam, and faced many other challenges, including difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But despite everything, she never gave up.
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