Congratulations to over 300 nominees!

MEET THE NOMINEE: Hlayisani

Hlayisani is a passionate bricklayer and builder who believes in the power of women and blazing a trail in a male-dominated arena. Recently nominated as a Heroic Women in South Africa, she is a beacon of hope redefining careers and encouraging women to follow their passion and dreams. With blossoming social media platforms, Hlayisani is using her powerful voice to make an incredible and long-lasting impact.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Daksha

Daksha is empowering, uplifting and providing CSI solutions that enhance socio-economic development across South Africa, Africa and the world. She is directly involved in sustainable solutions for menstruation, corporate social investment initiatives and has been locally and internationally awarded on her philanthropic and humanitarian work. A budding entrepreneur, Daksha received the Youth Entrepreneur Award from International Every Girl Wins Institute in 2021. Nothing is too dangerous or too small for this role model.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Mandy

Mandy is a dedicated mom of two teenagers who values women empowerment and raising awareness about issues in South Africa such as gender-based violence. Working full time, Mandy uses her free time to run and moderate a women’s group on social media, where women are safe and protected as part of this online community. Using their voices to advocate and assist with social struggles, they also collect, sponsor and provide sanitary and hygiene products to ensure that women get the dignity and products they need each month. Mandy is a strong example of the power that each of us has to make an impactful difference.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Nomcebo

Nomcebo is a positive and driven person, letting nothing stop her from reaching her dreams. Rising and thriving despite a challenging upbringing, she continues to grow against all odds to bring awareness to water scarcity for future generations. With a keen interest in science and new technologies, she started her own business with limited resources that produces water from air using atmospheric water generators. She is always educating and sharing her knowledge with her community, inspiring others to plan and work for our future on the planet ahead. Strong and impactful, Nomcebo is making a big difference in the world around her.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Sibongile

Sibongile, the visionary and founder of Uku’hamba Prosthetics, which started from personal experience interacting with an amputee. This drove her to make a positive impact and improve the quality life of amputees. Uku’hamba Prosthetics produces customised, light weight prosthetics at a low cost to help improve the life of an amputee and to help the underprivileged have access to this life changing technology. She also formed the Soweto Young Women Empowerment initiative and was part of Activate. Both organisations aim to transform societies and drive change world-wide. When the pandemic hit, she focused her company on manufacturing 3D-printed personal protective-masks and shields for free. She currently serves as an advisory committee member for National Youth ICT Council which aims for youth participation in the digital economy. She has won many awards for all her work! Well done.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Silindile

Silindile is a selfless, courageous and dedicated young woman. She has always created her own opportunities. After receiving honours in communications and media, she is on a journey to having her own media house. She has participated in many NPO's around the world - head of projects for UNASA-UNIZULU, Friedrich Ebert-Stiftung South African office programs, KZN moderator of Khwela Womxn. She uses social media to empower and uplift other women and her YouTube channel, A Life of a Woman with Silindile Mshengu, to educate, inform and bring awareness about the life of a woman. She is a voice for the voiceless and a leader, dedicated to impact change in the lives of women.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Vuyolwethu

Vuyolwethu is a phenomenal woman who has excelled leadership in all avenues! She is truly an all rounder in women development. She goes above and beyond, running programs which help empower all women, regardless of age or knowledge base. She helps those in rural areas and continuously empowers and helps anyone she meets.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Nozipho

Nozipho is an inspirational woman who continuously shares her talent and dreams with society. At a young age, her grandmother fell sick and she had to move from the world she knew to a different one. She became a mother to her siblings and looked after them and their well-being. She overcame ridicule at school (for career aspirations), working, studying and being a mother for her siblings and went on to start her own foundation - The Unlimited Youth Development - which aims to empower and develop children. Through this, she mentored many children with their self-esteem, public speaking, entering beauty pageants and standing up for themselves. She thrives on empowering others to better themselves and offers career, personal, emotional support and financial support where she can. She has gone on to study at university and obtained many certificates.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Nepheritie

Nepheritie is someone who has inspiration at her core. She has grown her own business while being resilient in the face of challenges. This has helped her develop herself and others as leaders and she has changed the perceptions of others during many controversial outbreaks. She is a force to be reckoned with and continuously helps others develop their skills.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Andile

Andile is a woman who is passionate about seeing growth in youth - particularly young girls. She has an NPO for girls - the vision for this foundation is to equip young girls with knowledge and skills on how to generate money using their own hands. She is a role model for many young girls who want to be future leaders. She is a mentor and a mother to them.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Londeka

Londeka is an inspirational woman who has led young girls in key communities mostly affected by HIV, poverty, risky behaviour and equity. She has done this through her beautiful peer education program. This program enrolls young girls in high schools to form youth support or care clubs. Her success rate is outstanding with many girls graduating from university, getting permanent jobs and being financially independent. She has had to improvise and use her own savings for this program which shows she is a true leader who will stop at nothing to make her vision a reality.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Sizah

Sizah majored in Industrial Psychology & Industrial Organisation and Labour studies as a double major degree and has 10 years experience working in HR. She has drive and passion for development and skills development. She is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Glips Tech, a company that designs and develops consumer electronics with a vision to narrow the digital divide, create youth employment and upskill the next generation. She is also CEO and Co-founder of Edumob - a business consulting company aimed at youth enterprise and development. They help with personalized branding, work readiness and skills development. Through Edumob, Sizah managed the introduction of an E-Learning programme for the Uthukela and Umzinyathi Districts in KZN where it was piloted to 100 schools.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Sibusisiwe

Sibusisiwe is a young nurse turned entrepreneur who runs her own home business. She started a cosmetic distribution business which empowers her financially and helps other young women start their own business selling perfumes and cosmetics. She is a team leader and a pioneer who shows others that you can overcome retrenchment and unemployment by using it as a catalyst to bring you forward. She has a podcast, a blog and a free coaching group for female entrepreneurs. On International Women's Day 2021, she was recognised by Standard Bank Eswatini with a BlueSHEroes Generation 2021 Award, as an entrepreneur who has demonstrated brave leadership and resilience during these turbulent COVID-19 times. She continues to inspire others who have lost hope and faith due to job losses in this pandemic.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Nozipho

Nozipho is a brilliant and dedicated social worker who has been in the industry for over 20 years. Her drive and determination for excellence is as strong as ever. Her spirit is worth rebuilding our society which has taken a hard knock. She is currently on a journey of opening a practice on top of her ongoing work in mental health as a social worker.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Lwanele

Lwanele is an inspiring and humble woman. She always tries to assist others in grass-root communities and is alway there to lend a helping hand. She draws from all her knowledge to help the community and feels passionate about it!

MEET THE NOMINEE: Nikita

Nikita is an academic specialising in Supply Chain Management. She has successful experience in the textile industry and is focused on clothing and has involvement in all business processes. Nikita also volunteers her time to teach children in her local community transit camp. This camp houses victims of a flooding from 2019. She is passionate about education and teaching and volunteered many times. She is the Vice Chairperson at her local community youth group and an executive member at Mancosa’s Centre for Women Leadership. On top of all of this, she is the founder of a natural skin-care brand called Bio Exuberance. She is very passionate about the power of positive thinking, helping those around you to grow and develop and she believes in moving forward together to attain success and to ascertain the mind-set of becoming a lifelong learner.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Noko

Noko is a selfless, loving and caring person who has helped her younger sister and brother to further their studies while she worked. She has been the pillar of her family and gives all she has for them. She aspires to study business analysis and hopes to pursue this course of action!

MEET THE NOMINEE: Evonne

Evonne is a strong woman who has overcome so much - feeling like an only child despite having 9 siblings, bullied at school, getting married, having a baby and getting divorced in one year, dealing with the stigma that comes with bi-polar disorder. Despite all this, she has come out victorious and found her way with faith. She hopes to publish her story this year and start a coaching practice. She wants to create awareness about the stigma of mental illness and transform others' lives.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Brenda

Brenda is the founder of the South African Children's Award which is a red carpet gala event which recognises youth talent and contributes to charity around South Africa.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Dimakatso

Dimakatso is a very helpful and dedicated young woman. She proudly founded a day care centre in a disadvantaged community a few years ago but, unfortunately, had to close it due to limited resources. She prides herself in helping out where she can - she is a generous woman with a heart of gold.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Aishah

Aishah is accomplished in the world of media, and on top that she's only under 30! She's been a producer and content manager for the news and actuality programs on the radio, and she even did some presenting on TV. Her current job as an investigative journalist doesn't stop her from outreach - she runs a literacy program for underprivileged communities and has been awarded a Women of Wonder award.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Yemaswati

Yemaswati is the founder of Sparkleen Detergents. She also helps women start their own cleaning and beauty product companies. She provides them with training in product making and caters all over South Africa. This is her way of empowering women to be able to provide for their families through selling these products and being able to manage their own small business.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Ntswaki

Ntswaki is a powerful woman and a dedicated mother who has dedicated her life to help kids with life limiting conditions and cancer patients as well as her own job at the bank. This doesn't stop her as she collects clothes, blankets, food, heaters and mattresses for them. She lost her own mother to cancer but that didn't stop her from continuing to help and grow her community despite her own pain and suffering.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Sheila

Sheila was born in the dusty streets of Bungeni village, 31 years ago. She has built her own company from the ground up and specializes in events and management, and is truly a master at organizing and planning big and small events. She is a poet, author and a mentor to many young people. She is a chairperson of a mentorship club and a co-founder of a company that helps with writing skills. She also gives back to the community by buying internet data to those who require it to do their school work. She deserves to be a winner and is such an inspiration to everyone she helps.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Hannah

Hannah is part of a growing team who deliver the Dare to Lead program by Brene Brown. They aim to inspire the next generation of leaders and coaches. Hannah is an inspiration to those who meet her and she has explored and developed her leadership skills all over the world. She has changed the lives of those she has worked with and is determined to expand her help to others.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Puleng

Puleng is a fierce woman who sits behind numerous inspiring projects. One of her most recent projects was creating and hosting an empowerment session aimed at young girls. In this session, she educated these young girls about womanhood, self love and how they should love themselves. She is always finding ways to pass on her knowledge and information to the greater community!

MEET THE NOMINEE: Thobeka

Thobeka runs her own business selling skin, body and hair care products. Her products are all natural and handmade in her loving hands. She is incredibly passionate about her business and the joy she gets from this line of work is unmatched. She is a strong, resilient woman with a good work ethic. She is striving for even more and has great ideas for her business' future.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Sinokuphila

Sinokuphila is a dairy and poultry farmer who uses her passion for agriculture and the farming industry to inspire others (young and old) to venture into the world of agriculture and make a career of it. She has helped others fall in love with agricultural farming, just as she has. She is a force to be reckoned with and has a grand vision for transforming the rural economy.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Busisiwe

Busisiwe is a strong and empowering woman who, despite not being able to study after Matric in 2007, pushed herself to greatness and got an opportunity to study digital marketing in 2020. Since then, she has continued her education and has received many certificates, including Women in Leadership.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Lungile

Lungile is a hard worker who strives to inspire and uplift others in all aspects. She is a kind and caring woman who runs community upliftment workshops for youth with talent in the arts, entertainment and who run small businesses. She aspires to stage big events on the topic of empowerment so she can impart her knowledge far and wide. In her spare time, she runs her NPO which focuses on food parcel drives. She teaches others to never let their background be a limiting factor and helps push others to strive for greatness.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Venesa

Venesa got married young and, due to financial situation, she wasn't able to study after school. Despite this, she cared deeply and truly for her children, and always ensured their every need was met - from meals to school work to faith. She is an entrepreneur in her own right and opened a bakery as a means to support her family. She inspires her children and others to reach for the stars and never settle, all while holding steadfast to the saying that love always wins, no matter what. She believes that there is a solution to any problem, you just need to look in the right place.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Belinda

Belinda is tearing down gender norms and owns her own construction company, Shoop Sharp Construction Services. This venture into a male-dominating field has allowed her to be on top and she uses this status to impact society. She has won many accolades in her business sector and has served local government and corporate clients. She put her trust in her ability to focus and be precise as a guiding factor in her 20+ years of work. Aside from these impressive wins, she is passionate about social impact and youth development and spends an equal amount of time in her social doings! She is a phenomenal woman who exudes leadership and empowerment.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Thembelihle

Thembelihle lives in a shelter for women and children. Despite not finishing matric, she hasn't stopped learning and studying in order to further herself and improve her impressive skills. Her passions lie in the arts, specifically acting and she aspires to go even further with this passion!

MEET THE NOMINEE: Monique

Monique is a mother of three boys, two of which have special needs. For this reason and more, she is a strong force of power and energy! The pandemic showed how strong her leadership skills are as a manager in a hospital. Her passions lie in helping others which she does by leading with great example and a magnetic personality. She is an inspiration to all those she comes across and hosts a radio show for her community church.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Nontobeko

Nontobeko is a passionate woman! Her passions lie in community service and development, people and performing arts. These passions allowed her to open her own NPO - Hidden Gems of Africa - which aims to spread acts of hope and kindness in communities. It aims for sustainable community development and change, and empowers women and children through the medium of performing arts. Nontobeko and her NPO successfully planned and hosted a GBV workshop with many impressive sponsors, such as Shoprite, Zeta labs, Beyond Self Esteem. This workshop included basic self defence lessons for all attendees.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Tebogo

Previous Ms Africa winner and Ms Global United winner, Tebogo is committed to helping others. She runs a foundation which helps with daily basic needs and runs drives for school uniforms, food hampers, toiletries and more. She has started a women's meet called Thuba Pelo Mosadi. This is a space for women to meet, engage on pertinent topics and discuss these aspects. She has launched a magazine, Thuba Pelo Mosadi Lets Talk and has her own talk show. Another passion lies in youth development and engaging about all opportunities life has to offer.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Al-Haadia

Al-haadia is a leader in her community. She advocates for women and children's rights, an area she is extremely passionate about! With this passion, she drives others to stand up for themselves, be a part of the community and make a difference. Her community involvement and volunteering form a big part of her life and she is always there to help in times of crisis and those in need. She empowers young women and assists them with education and scholarship applications.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Xolile

Xolile is a teacher, mentor, role model and a beauty pageant winner. She inspires others to work hard, be leaders and motivates them to succeed and does this by leading with example. She is passionate about domestic violence and is an ambassador of the Project Warrior and SA Women Fight Back groups. She also raises awareness about domestic violence through social media, radio talks and newspapers. She understands and teaches the importance of education, financial independence and good relationships. Her passions also lie in developing young minds and shaping their future for a successful one.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Reabetswe

Reabetswe is a talented and skilful woman, who owns her own consulting business. She has (and still does) motivated many women and young adults to reach for their aspirations. She is a motivational speaker and advisor with a beautiful road right ahead of her! Well done.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Lerato

Lerato is a powerful and resilient woman. When she lost her job in 2018, she rose up and launched her thriving music career. Six months later, she released her first single and performed on stage with some household names, such as Kelly Khumalo and Thandiswa Mazwai. She is also a semi-finalist in the Ms South Africa pageant and manages to juggle all this and be a loving mother to three children.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Ayanda

I nominate my sister. After our parents died she stepped in and took care of us as her siblings. 😊 We have aunts and uncles but they decided to desert us. It’s still a hard journey and you can also see she’s trying. She gives us advice and makes sure we have shelter over our heads and food to eat. 😊

MEET THE NOMINEE: Daizy

I nominate Daizy because she is a force to be reckoned with, and the epitome of a servant leader. She is known for the values & principles she lives by, and she is committed to not only bring about change in her community but also grow and develop her potential. She is the founder & CEO of Queendom. This is an initiative that is aimed at uplifting and empowering young girls who lost their mothers to find their niche and unleash their leadership potential. She is part of 100 young CEOs of Tshwane, a program that is aimed at raising entrepreneurial leaders. She is also a podcaster of #FridayRetreatWithDaisy. This platform is aimed at inspiring & challenging women to think and live a more purposeful life, find happiness, beauty standards, their fullness in Christ & develop self-worth through transparency, honesty, and love.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Valentine

Valentine is a young lady in a child-headed family, she is the breadwinner. She provides for the family by selling herbal peanut butter which she formulated on her own. She stays with her grandmother who is visually impaired and has underlying chronic conditions and her siblings. I hope she wins the Developing Women Leaders Short course so she will be more able to run her little business and support her family.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Noëlle

Noëlle inspires me and lifts me up daily. She demonstrates courage and brilliance. She is a badass world changer, who makes me believe that I can do so much and I hope I can help her by nominating her for this short course. I hope she wins and does well.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Sindisiwe

Sindisiwe is always supportive and understanding. She is willing to always help out. She's a strong woman who doesn't give up. She deserves to be enrolled in the Developing Women Leaders Online Short Course so she can help herself and others.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Joy

I have known Joy for years and if there is one thing about Joy, it is that she is hungry for information. As someone who often had to be her senior, she would always be asking questions; not in an attempt to prove one's insignificance but because she genuinely wants to be able to learn so that when she becomes a leader, she knows what mistakes not to make and how to improve. She has a very serious drive that I have come to appreciate to the point whereby when I recommended her to be a programme member for an international programme; I knew that the programme would benefit from her ability, her attention to detail and her general work ethic and empathy to humanity. I unconditionally would recommend Joy Rispel for the Developing Women Leaders Course.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Jane

Jane was raped at age 13, lost parents to HIV at age 17 (while in matric and buried them in two consecutive weeks yet came out top). She also lost her sister and the sister's husband in a horrific femicide/suicide scene. All this could break so many people yet she uses it as her strength by using art for social justice and therapy. She is the voice of so many and gives others a voice and a safe space through the use of art as a medium for expression. She has worked with many directors both internationally and nationally and has the likes of DOE, Vrystaat Kunstefees, UFS and the legendary Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha investing in her craft because of her humility, talent and work ethics. Currently a Love Life FS' role model of the year and a provincial ambassador for the BASA debut program...she has many award recognitions and winnings but remains humble. An inspiration to the young and the old, the male and females all over. Jane is the definition of turning adversity to winnings. She is a twin mom now and makes even bolder moves...it's fascinating.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Julia

I would hereby like to nominate my mother who has always gone out of her way to take care of others. She is a registered nurse, who realised her passion for education and pursued teaching. She then worked as the deputy principal of a nurses college and later moved on to becoming a manager at a research facility. Even though she is no longer in education, she still finds the time to tutor future nurses. I believe that this opportunity will benefit her greatly as she is truly a leader. Not only at work, but to her family and community as well.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Mandy

She's a mom of two teens, working full time and running a women's group on social media. She uplifts women by being a voice and assisting with sanitary and hygiene goodies with the help of other women.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Jacqueline

Ever since giving birth to her first son in her matric year, Jacqueline (Jacky) has gone from strength-to-strength to succeed. This dedicated mother has a dream to complete an executive MBA after achieving her Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration (equivalent to an Honours). I am nominating Jacky for her tenacity, leadership qualities at home and in the workplace and being a powerful role model and potential mentor. It’s women like Jacky who are able to grow organisations to where they need to be – she has started from ground zero and just keeps going. I admire this courageous woman who deeply inspires me and many others.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Ipathia

Ipathia is a woman who is all for women empowerment! She is the founder of a home-based baking business, called Ippys Delights, she has the passion to also teach and share her skills with other aspiring bakers. Her business caters for customers who want to be healthy and have a sweet tooth. She specializes in a variety of baked goods.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Neo

I would like to nominate Neo Madiehe, a 27-years-old ambitious lady. She has a diploma in Fashion Design and couldn't afford to further her studies. She's passionate about business and would like to further her studies in this field. She is always hustling, selling accessories on the side and also has her own business which specializes in maternity wear, and creates custom made clothes. All she needs is a bit of help with the business side of things as it might help her improve and grow her business and increase her knowledge.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Thandeka

Thandeka has been doing community service ever since she joined a UKZN Non-Profit Organisation in 2010. Thandeka is currently the chairperson of a Non-Profit Organisation based at UKZN (IDA). Her organisation assists Matriculants with career guidance, bursary and tertiary applications through mentorship. Her aim has been to empower disadvantaged learners in the application process for tertiary institutions, also helping them find accommodation and food. She has successfully helped learners attain bursaries for both local and international opportunities. She has inspired two Grade 9 learners to write three set of books now ready to be published and another working towards starting a Pad manufacturing business. This awesome, remarkable, enthusiastic, lively, powerful, confident woman is not only a community servant but also possesses a Bachelor of Commerce that she obtained at UKZN. She has a comprehensive work history and has held various titles including: chairperson, diamond dealer, business owner pig farmer and tutor.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Rethabile

Rethabile Mosese is a human rights attorney and gender activist. Advocating for victims of trauma within a broken system is extremely difficult work, yet Rethabile, has remained resilient in the face of ongoing challenges and setbacks. It's for this reason that I would like to nominate her for the Developing Women Leaders course. If we are going to make social justice a reality, then we need transformative feminist leaders and I believe Rethabile has the potential to become one of these leaders.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Brightness

Brightness has always been passionate about the development of minds, from being an academic that inspired students, to being a union leader, who advocates for fair workplace practices. In her role she inspired many to further their studies from being cleaners and securities to being graduates. She has been involved in numerous women mentorship programs where she mentored business women and girls. She has currently joined HERS-SA, where she is a Director, tasked to advocate for women leaders in higher education. She is an inspiration who continues to share her wisdom through social - and main stream media. Brightness epitomizes her name.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Minenhle

Minenhle is a 34-year-old lady from Newcastle KZN. After finishing school she wanted to pursue a career in the TV and Film industry, but her parents wouldn't allow her, instead they insisted she pursue a career in chemical engineering. She listened to her parents' wishes, but her passion for TV productions didn't die. At the age of 25, she started pursuing a career in TV and Film as well as performing arts. After studying she ended up being a Production Manager of an award-winning production company and also does acting roles. Doing all this in a small town like Newcastle is really inspiring, she is breaking the stereotype that says you have to be in big cities to make it in this industry. She never allowed her dream to die and continues to go for what she wants and continues improving her life in so many ways.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Roshan

I met Roshan in 2003, we have been colleagues for more than 15 years. Roshan is the most generous person I know, she is always ready to help anyone in need. Roshan was studying when I met her. She completed her post-graduate diploma around 2007 and embarked on a masters degree. She faced many difficulties during this time, her father passed away and so did her brother. She continued to work on her studies while having a demanding job with very little support from the management at her office. Roshan is a founding member of an NPO which was established in 2020. The NPO feeds 1000s of people in some of the poorest communities. Roshan has been hands-on working in the vegetable gardens in the community and working relentlessly to secure funding for the project. She is an inspiration to many and I am motivated by her resilience and diligence.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Dimpho

She is my sister’s daughter, raised by her grandmother and spent most of her life neglected by her mother. But against all odds she worked very hard on her studies and recently passed matric. The challenge now is that she doesn’t have funds to further her studies, and every night I search for bursaries for her to apply as I strongly believe she can make a good life for herself if she can only acquire a qualification. She looks up to me and I wish I could help her reach her dreams.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Thandi

Thandi, 29 years old female soldier, graduate, model, and artist, who inspire to live life despite life challenges. I have watched her strive to change her life through education. She is a featured author of a poetry book titled Tapping into poetry anthology and the self-published author of Within My Shoes which tells of a woman's life struggle in poetic form. She is a fighter and lifts her piers up through her poetry and music. She runs a children's place of safety where kids come and play table soccer and trampoline. She also runs a brand called SlayDlozi where she teaches kids the importance of understanding where you come from culturally and she has started a pageant agency where she runs a competition to teach young kids the importance of self-confidence through modeling and being a community life changer.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Chantel

I nominate Chantel Smith for the Developing Women Leaders Online Short Course. She inspires me to be better person, to trust in myself and to excel in my career. She has taken me under her wing and taught me most of what I know. She is a strong female leader and I feel this course will open even more doors for her, much like she has opened doors for me.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Rosheen

I nominated Rosheen Ngorima because she is a woman with a clear vision of what she wants to achieve. She is the MD of Neeps Consulting Services and the President of Female Founder Initiative (Middle east &Africa) paving the way for other women to follow. Rosheen is an inspirational leader that always remembers to give back to the community; uplifting other women and the youth in business.

MEET THE NOMINEE:
Nomvuyo Munyu

Beauty is the founder of Siyakholwa Support care centre, a national non-profit organization currently working in rural areas and informal settlements to combat the spread of poverty. She is a very strong voice in the community and makes such a meaningful difference in so many lives.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Wyomia

Wyomia is the founder of Brand Ballistics, a Sustainability and Social Impact Consultancy. I am nominating Wyomia because she is a servant leader with humility and integrity. Wyomia continuously adds value to people and spaces, with insight and empathy, encouraging others to be and do their best.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Pumeza

Born in rural Transkei in the late 70's, Pumeza intended to go medical school, but fell pregnant and had to leave varsity at the young age of 18 years. She felt disheartened and decided she had to take a break from her studies to raise her child. A few years later, through hard work and dedication and discipline she graduated with a Bachelor of Accounting degree. Commerce challenged her as it was an unfamiliar territory and she rose to the top becoming one of the top performing private bankers in one of the big 4 commercial banks in SA. All Pumeza desires is to develop herself as a female leader. She has set aside further studies to prioritize her daughter’s education and feels like she halted her ambition and development for far too long. She wants to pursue and prioritize her own growth. She sees the need for female leadership within this era of business and believes that females make formidable leaders.

MEET THE NOMINEE: Nosipho

I’d like to nominate Nosipho because she is an exceptional people’s person and has a knack for streamlining things in her department without stepping on toes and overhauling anything too much. I’ve worked with Nosipho for two years and am constantly blown away by how she manages to lead with compassion and care while still ensuring her work - and those in the team she leads - gets done efficiently. Fingers crossed!