Womanity - Women in Unity

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr Monicca Thulisile Bhuda, who lectures in culture and heritage studies at the University of Mpumalanga. She holds a PhD in Social Sciences specialising in Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). Dr. Bhuda shares her journey into the field, describing it as a calling that began when she first enrolled in sociology and IKS at Northwest University in 2013. Supported by funding from the Department of Science and Innovation, as well as the Department of Arts and Culture, Dr. Bhuda was part of a pioneering cohort studying ancestral knowledge systems.

Focusing on the role of women in society, Dr. Bhuda emphasizes that women have always held significant positions in indigenous communities, even before colonial encounters. She highlights the long-standing influence of African queens, whose leadership and stabilizing roles were instrumental in shaping civilizations. Today, in democratic South Africa, we see a revival of this heritage, with opportunities for women to lead and succeed in powerful roles.

The conversation highlights how Indigenous Knowledge Systems, passed down through generations, are as fluid and adaptable as culture itself. These systems are deeply integrated into various aspects of life, including agriculture, health, and community sustainability. Dr. Bhuda elaborates on the diverse methods of knowledge transmission—ranging from oral storytelling to observation, participation, and apprenticeship. Dr. Bhuda reflects on how women’s roles have evolved over time but stresses that their contributions to society have always been vital. Education is key, she argues, in shifting mindsets and ensuring that people recognize the unique strengths women bring to leadership and community-building.

Dr. Bhuda also shares her thoughts on the importance of two significant indigenous practices in South Africa: the spirit of Ubuntu, which emphasizes compassion and interconnectedness, and the rites of passage that guide individuals through life’s stages. She sees these traditions as valuable lessons that other societies could learn from.

Closing the discussion, Dr. Bhuda speaks passionately about the power of having a vision and pursuing it relentlessly. She encourages women to dream boldly, envision the person they are meant to become, and work tirelessly toward realizing their potential.

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This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Val Nichas, the CEO of the Spur Corporation. Part of her motivation for accepting this role was the challenge of transformation and taking on a role in corporate which has greater purpose. Under her leadership the Spur Corporation became a purpose-led organisation, whose purpose is, “Leading for the Greater Good”. Transformation is about making things better and part of that process includes equality, diversity and inclusion to positively impact the business and communities that it serves.

Ms Nichas discusses how leadership strategies go beyond business strategies, emphasizing the importance of diagnosing challenges, gathering facts, and collaborating to find creative solutions. With a visionary mindset, she has evolved Spur’s business model to adapt to changing times while focusing on long-term planning and community impact. Under her leadership, the group has grown to over 700 restaurants with headline earnings in 2024 increasing by 11% year on year. Each new franchise restaurant employs 42 people, demonstrating the multiplier effect of healthy brands on society. 53% of the corporate company and restaurant employees are female. The group has initiatives in place that consider women’s wellness, coaching development, learnership programmes and has a 3.2 work day arrangement where employees work out of the office for three days a week and from home for two.

Ms Nichas reflects on how soft skills have become more important in the business world to create sustainable meaningful change. Her success stems from hard work, faith in her team, a strong spiritual foundation and applying lessons learned from growing up in her parents Café, where customer service made all the difference.

Listeners will be inspired by Val Nichas’ insights into leading with a vision that has a plan of action, her belief in Africa’s abundant opportunities, and her advice to lead with love and intent. She reminds us that success is rooted in doing good, serving others, and believing in our own worth.

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This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof Dovile Jakniunaite from the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University and head of the Institute’s Russia and Central Eastern European Studies Centre.

There are different iterations of feminism, which are influenced by context. Prof Jakniunaite shares how when Lithuania attained independence in 1990, there was an influx of ideas from the West, including their ideas of feminism, whether that be liberal or social perspectives. In time, as societies mature, they realise that they do not necessarily have to absorb everything from other countries but can look within themselves for concepts relative to their circumstances. On the one hand there may be some common ideas, but on the other attitudes to certain issues may differ. For example, some people have a romantic notion of socialism, but women in Eastern Europe who experienced socialism first hand tend to consider the failures of this construct.

Lithuanians do not have a universal outlook towards women’s roles in society. For example, youth consider equality to be common sense and that women can occupy any role they choose. However, in segments that expect women to care for most of the household responsibility, there is an impact on the amount of time that women can devote to careers, which compromises their professional development.

We note that female trailblazers across disciples serve as role models of what activities are possible for women. The fact that Lithuania has had a female president and has a female prime minister helps normalise the presence of women in politics.

We discuss some of the impact that countries with feminist foreign policies exert on the world. For example, when a country with a feminist foreign policy donates funds to an entity or another nation it signals that the issues that it cares about need to be addressed as part of the deal. In this way the funding country influences gender equality in the region it is contributing finance to.

In closing, Prof Jakniunaite encourages women to build their confidence, and to think of confidence as a skill which with practice develops over time.

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof Rene Benecke from the Strategic Communication Department at the University of Johannesburg.

Communication is dynamic and multifaceted, influencing everything from activism to personal branding. Prof Benecke shares some of her views on how the concepts of network theory and community influencers intersect in practice, emphasising the interdependency between individuals and their networks to enable issues to be addressed. We consider personal branding for women through a communication lens, which Prof. Benecke distils into three elements; we need to find our own voice, we need to develop our confidence and we need to believe that we are good enough. In building ourselves we establish a space in the world that we can contribute to meaningfully.

Prof. Benecke’s work also explores the tragic reality of gender-based violence (GBV), described by President Ramaphosa as South Africa’s second pandemic. There are several theoretical arguments about why GBV occurs and possible methods to solve it. In practical terms, victims of GBV or of potential assault need to know who they can contact to help them. Reflecting on the murder of Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, sometimes the struggles that a person deals with are hidden from view, and we should all be more sensitive to the plight of other women and intervening where possible to help.

Today’s show is dedicated to the memory of Rebecca Cheptegei, may her soul rest in peace.

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This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Prof Patricia Lindelwa Makoni, from the University of South Africa’s (UNISA) Department of Finance, Risk Management and Banking. UNISA is Africa’s largest distance learning institution, with over 400,000 students, representing over 100 different countries. Every year more than 54,000 graduates receive qualifications from UNISA.

Prof Makoni’s research interests include international finance, financial market development, corporate finance and development finance. She supervises doctoral students from diverse regions including Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United States. Their research topics include infrastructure development, international finance and aid, micro small and medium enterprises, and more.

Reflecting on her work, Prof Makoni shares her insights on the challenges of financial exclusion faced by women in rural environments. She emphasises that financial inclusion is not just about access to financial products, its also about understanding the entire value chain. This includes everything from business development and market entry strategies to effective pricing and distribution channels. She believes that empowering women with this holistic knowledge is key to sustainable economic development.

Prof. Makoni mentions the philanthropic work of Tsitsi Masiyiwa and Frida Owinga who worked tirelessly to set up country chapters as President of Africa for the Organization for Women in Trade.

Beyond her academic endeavours, Prof. Makoni talks about managing the balance between the various facets of her life. She highlights the importance of making our assets and capital work for us—extending beyond just financial capital to social capital (our networks and relationships) and human capital (our skills, knowledge, and desire to learn). When these elements are combined, they create a powerful force for personal and professional growth.

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This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Miss South Africa 2024, Mia Le Roux. Mia is deaf, and she knows first-hand what if feels like to be excluded from opportunities, from the big, as well as seemingly insignificant things that many able-bodied people take for granted. Mia decided to participate in Miss SA because she did not want to feel excluded anymore and wanted to step up onto a platform for herself and others to feel included. In the winning, ‘pinch-me’, moment, when she was crowned with the Miss SA Mowana cornet, she said, that she knew it was for everyone that feels different.

Part of Mia’s aspirations is to help the included make room for inclusivity. She explained some of the challenges that she experienced, such as lack of access to information, for example, watching TV for news or going to the cinema for entertainment – without captions on the screen – she has to work harder to consume this content.

Growing up, after receiving a cochlear implant, Mia’s parents were concerned for her well-being and ability to cope and be independent in the world. Mia shares a few pivotal moments in her life, from the support of her family and community, to appreciating values from her mum which built her internal strength, to having ambition to live a bigger life. For example, when she moved to Cape Town, within one week she had a new car, new apartment and new job, which are testament to her determination, resilience and independence.

Mia considers that for women to make more progress, as a collective we have to support each other and lift one another up. Helping others to shine doesn’t dim your light, it just makes the world brighter.

She closes the conversation with the following inspiring words, “Your dream has to be stronger than your fear.”

Tune in for more to hear this determined, resilient, dream-living, inspiring young woman that embodies the four pillars of Miss South Africa – duty, championship, empowerment, and beauty.

#Empowerment #Resilience #Dream

This week on Womanity – Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks with Professor Rachel Jafta, a Professor of Economics at Stellenbosch University and Director at Naspers / Prosus.

Professor Jafta believes economics is fundamentally about people. Her diverse research covers topics like International Trade, Industrial Organisation, Technological Change, R&D, Affirmative Action, and Black Economic Empowerment.

In this insightful conversation, she emphasizes how a nation’s wellbeing hinges on the participation of its entire population in the economy, highlighting the detrimental effects of excluding women. She also sheds light on the opportunities brought by digitalisation, which could unlock global markets for female entrepreneurs, and the potential of a single African market to expand opportunities for women. She notes the work that Naspers Labs does to equip youth with digital skills training to access the digital economy, not just as job seekers but as entrepreneurs.

Professor Jafta also explores the key barriers women face: access to markets, finance, networks, and knowledge. She shares an example from India, where individuals without collateral use track records in place of credit profiles, illustrating innovative ways to address financial access issues.

Reflecting on her own journey, Prof. Jafta recalls how education was a priority in her family, even though her parents didn’t attend school, they ensured that their six children were educated.  Prof Jafta had supportive teachers and one of them thought she should enroll for a university degree, at a time when it was not the norm for girls to go to university.  After graduating she wanted to go to Mexico but was unable to, due to Apartheid travel restrictions, and so, at the tender of age of 23, she applied to be a junior lecturer at the University of Venda but instead ended up pioneering the formation of its economics department. Reflecting on this experience she views it as a valuable opportunity for leadership and institutional legacy building.

Her parting advice? “Never underestimate your potential, be kind to yourself, and don’t hesitate to ask for help—because if you don’t ask, the answer will always be no!”

Tune in for more on this inspiring episode!

#WomenInLeadership #Economics #GenderEquality #Empowerment #DigitalEconomy #WomenInTrade #Womanity

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, for our series on women in the judiciary, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Portia Nkutha-Nkontwana from the Labour Appeal Court.

Judge Nkutha-Nkontwana shares how family meetings, where the household were called to “The Table” to resolve challenges or mete out discipline introduced her to dispute resolution and gave a foundation to her career in labour law.

Law and legislation have been, and are, powerful tools to advance women’s rights. We discuss some of the important equality gains that women have attained. For example, access to equal education. Judge Nkutha-Nkontwana narrates a personal experience of when she started studying law, her professor complained that there were too many women in his class which caused many of them to deregister from law and pursue alternative studies. The second element we discuss is having female role  models in your profession. They provide visibility of what is possible.  The third aspect is policy changes and instituting deliberate legislation to change gender imbalances in institutions. For example, we now see greater representation of women on boards and in executive positions, where they occupy decision making roles.

It is important that we recognise gains can be lost, and in order to uphold women’s rights we need all stakeholders in the legal justice chain to play their part.

Happy Women’s Day.

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This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, for our series on women in the judiciary, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Jacqueline Henriques of the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court.

Judge Henriques comes from a family of educators and initially wanted to follow in their footsteps but was dissuaded by her father. She registered for a BProc at university with the intention of switching over to degree in education, however soon found her passion for law.  For aspiring law students, she recommends focusing on your goals and acquiring as much practical experience as possible. She shares some of the qualities of being a judicial officer, such as impartiality, independence, integrity, ethics, empathy and more…

Judge Henriques highlights some of recent amendments to domestic violence legislation, such as stricter bails imposed on persons charged with domestic violence offences and harsher now prescribed for offences related to gender-based violence. The Act has expanded its definition of what constitutes domestic violence, encompassing physical abuse, spiritual abuse, economic abuse, controlling behaviour, harassment, intimidation, elder abuse, and related person abuse to name a few. The Act now also requires the community to play an active role in stopping the scourge of domestic violence it is mandatory for the public to report incidences or reasonable suspicions of domestic violence, and also criminalises the failure of a person to report such abuse.

We discuss how policy can be used to drive change to support women, however, remark that implementation and monitoring of implementation is actually what drives change.

Judge Henriques appeals to women to help each other, to support each other and advance each other, so that we all make a positive impact on the world.

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This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, for our series on women in the judiciary, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Katharine Savage of the Western Cape High Court, Judge of the Labour Appeal Court and Acting Deputy Judge President of the Labour Courts and the Labour Appeal Court.

Judge Savage’s family motivated her to pursue a career in law, in part, to be able to change society. For example, she went ton to participate in the negotiations and writing of the final draft of the South African Constitution. Legislation has a powerful impact on driving reform and changing national ecosystems, whether it be social, economic or political constructs. Judge Savage participates in several societies organisations in the legal field, such as the  Southern African Legal Information Institute (SAFLII) 2004 and South African Society for Labour Law. She has also been elected by the United Nations General Assembly to serve as a Judge of the United Nations Appeal Tribunal. Judge Savage shares some of the responsibilities of being a judge, emphasising the importance of being independently minded, being brave in your judgements, standing by your views and at times shifting your perspectives.

One of the secrets to Judge Savage’s ability to manage multiple roles is structuring her life to enable her to participate in different forums. Furthermore, she approaches her work with an efficiency mindset and has learnt not be a perfectionist.

Judge Savage emphasises the importance of human values, knowing who we are as individuals, appreciating people from different backgrounds and encouraging people to get to their best selves. We all have our own journey and challenges, which we should consider as opportunities for growth.

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