Advocacy for Women, Breaking Barriers, Empowering Women, Female Leaders, Gender Equality, Gender Parity, Leadership, Uncategorized, Women Empowerment, Women Entrepreneurs

Honouring Mandela’s Legacy by Uplifting Women

Posted on by Nasi Hako
18
Jul

As long as women are bound by poverty and as long as they are looked down upon, human rights will lack substance… as long as outmoded ways of thinking prevent women from making a meaningful contribution to society, progress will be slow.” — Nelson Mandela

Each year on July 18, we pause to celebrate Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding father of our democracy and a tireless advocate for equality for all. Mandela understood that true liberation could not be achieved if women remained oppressed, and he consistently used his voice and platform to champion the rights of women, both during and after apartheid.

“Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression,” he famously declared in 1994.

He surrounded himself with women who were fierce, intelligent, and driven—women who led movements, fought injustice and nurtured resilience into the very fibre of South Africa’s democracy.

To honour Mandela’s legacy, we must also honour the women who fought beside him and those who continue to lead today. Because as long as women remain bound by poverty, violence, and limited opportunity, human rights “will lack substance.”

A long road to gender equality

When I think of the women who helped shape South Africa’s democracy, I think of the indomitable Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who carried the resistance through the darkest days; the bold and brilliant Miriam Makeba, our Mama Africa, whose voice echoed the cries for justice across continents; Albertina Sisulu, a nurse and activist whose quiet strength helped shape the future of South Africa; Helen Suzman, a lone voice in parliament for 13 years; and Lilian Ngoyi, a trade unionist and political leader, who led 20,000 women in protest against pass laws. These women weren’t just supporting acts, they were architects of change.

While the continent has made major strides since the days of apartheid and colonial rule, African women continue to face deeply rooted inequalities. Across sub-Saharan Africa, women make up nearly 70% of the informal economy, with limited access to financial services or legal protection. According to the World Bank, only 58% of women in Africa participate in the labour force, a number lower than that of men, and they are more likely to be unpaid or underpaid for the same work.

The numbers point to the ongoing need for structural transformation and gender-sensitive policy reform.

Yet perhaps the most insidious barrier lies in perception, societal norms that still place women on the periphery of power and leadership. Without access to education, capital, or networks of influence, many women are still excluded from the spaces where decisions about their lives are made.

Women who are rewriting the story

Despite the odds, African women are rising and redefining what leadership looks like. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s former finance minister, now heads the World Trade Organization, becoming the first African and first woman to do so. Her work proves that African women belong at the highest global economic tables.

Closer to home, Dr Judy Dlamini, a South African businesswoman, medical doctor, and chancellor of Wits University, has consistently used her influence to advocate for inclusion and women’s empowerment in both education and enterprise.

From entrepreneurs building tech start-ups in Kigali to rural leaders running green agriculture initiatives in Limpopo, women across Africa are actively shaping the continent’s future. They are not waiting to be invited: They are creating space, lifting others and demanding that their voices be heard.

As we celebrate Nelson Mandela’s legacy, let us honour the women who made his dream a reality and those who continue to carry that dream forward.

Let us commit to doing more than remembering history, let us shape the future.

Be part of the movement.

Join us at the WomenIN Festival 2025 from 13-14 November 2025, where bold ideas, impactful conversations, and limitless women come together to drive change.

🎟️ Tickets from R1499: www.wearewomenin.com/win-festival

Advocacy for Women, Breaking Barriers, Career Development, Empowering Women, Female Leaders, Leadership, Women in Business, Women in Leadership

What does it really mean to be a woman in business?

Posted on by Nasi Hako
11
Jul

When I think about what it means to be a woman in business, I picture strength. I think of the boss lady who walks into a boardroom and owns the space. I see the independent woman who’s building her own empire, the trailblazer making space where there was once none, and the barrier-breaker redefining entire industries.

But the truth is, these are not always the first images that come to mind for many.

Despite the world making strides toward gender equality, the workplace remains a space where women continue to navigate complex, and sometimes subtle, challenges.

Women in the workplace still experience microaggressions (sometimes seemingly polite gestures, offhand remarks or dismissals) that can go unnoticed and unchecked. These comments that underhandedly assume a woman cannot occupy a certain leadership role, or be assertive and unemotional, for example, can sometimes seem superficial but have harmful effects.

Even “ladies first” gestures can create an atmosphere that welcomes the projected submissive view of women, masking deeper issues of exclusion or unconscious bias.

These everyday experiences, while small in isolation, can have a cumulative impact on women’s confidence, sense of belonging, and how they show up in their professional lives. For instance, a recent American study revealed that women amplify their own research 28% less often than men on social media platforms. In a world where visibility is power, this statistic is telling—not only of the way in which we as women continue to silence ourselves but also the ease with which we diminish our own value.

To me, this all signals a deeper issue: that women are more inclined to undervalue their own contributions, likely shaped by long-standing societal expectations of humility, nurturing and self-sacrifice.

If ever there was proof of this, it would be the American Economic Review which found that women are also more likely to take on behind-the-scenes responsibilities (like the organisation of team functions) which tend to go unrewarded in the workplace. These roles, though valuable, can inadvertently take a toll on women’s upward mobility and recognition.

The challenges don’t end there. But here’s the powerful truth: this doesn’t have to define us.

Women in business are not just contributors. They are leaders and powerful ones. The evidence suggests that companies founded or co-founded by women do better in terms of revenue creation, job growth and execution.

Women are strategic thinkers, gifted communicators, adaptive problem-solvers and resilient innovators. These aren’t just “soft skills”. They are the very qualities that make businesses thrive in today’s ever-changing world.

Redefining what it means to be a woman in business isn’t about abandoning traditional strengths, it’s about reclaiming them, owning them and ensuring they’re valued equally.

It’s about allowing ourselves to be ambitious and assertive, while also being collaborative and compassionate. It’s about challenging outdated norms and creating space for more nuanced, empowered representations of womanhood in professional spaces.

We are not just part of the system, we are reshaping it and the more we celebrate and elevate each other, the more we change the narrative for future generations of women in business.

Female Leaders, Gender Equality, Leadership, Women in Energy, Women in Renewable Energy

The growing impact of women in energy leadership on the Just Transition

Posted on by Nasi Hako
06
Jun

Progress for women in energy across Africa

The future of energy is inclusive

PRE-REGISTER FOR WOMENIN FESTIVAL
Collaborative Growth, Empowering Women, Female Leaders, Gender Equality, Leadership, Uncategorized, Women Empowerment

Building a united Africa: A call for gender-inclusive leadership

Posted on by Nasi Hako
28
May

Read more
Women’s History Month: Let’s make history, together!

Women: The catalyst for unity in Africa we’ve been looking for?

Read more
Why Women Must Collaborate: Because Together, We Are Unstoppable!

Women making waves in Africa

Advocacy for Women, Breaking Barriers, Diversity and Inclusion, Gender Equality, Gender Parity, Leadership, Uncategorized, Women Empowerment, Women in Leadership, Work-Life Balance

The business case for working mothers: Debunking the mother of all myths

Posted on by Nasi Hako
14
May

Somehow, along the way, society adopted a troubling stereotype: that when women become mothers, they become less valuable in the workplace and are, in turn, more of a liability than an asset. However, research tells a different story.

Instead of hindering professional performance, motherhood often enhances it. In fact, a foreign study by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis found that working mothers often bring unique strengths and perspectives that companies would do well to celebrate, not sideline.

South African women have participated in the formal workforce for over a century, and only within the last three decades have they received meaningful legal protection from workplace discrimination related to childbearing. Thanks to the country’s progressive constitution, the Labour Relations Act of 1995, and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act of 1997, women are now safeguarded from being dismissed or treated unfairly because they choose to have children. These laws have significantly shifted how employers treat and think about working mothers.

In recent years, we’ve even seen the rise of “pumping rooms” in office spaces: designated private areas where breastfeeding employees can express milk comfortably. These small but powerful changes reflect a growing understanding that supporting mothers at work isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a smart investment.

Yet, despite all this progress, the gender gap in South Africa remains stubborn and so do the stereotypes. The idea that working mothers can’t be fully committed to their jobs continues to shape hiring, promotion, and workplace culture in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

Working motherhood: A double-edged sword

What working mothers really bring to the table

Celebrating working mothers beyond mother’s day