On 9 August 2008, the women of Mamelodi joined the country-wide women’s day commemorations at Moretele Park, in Mamelodi.
Hosted for the third time by Makwande Connekshin, this event attracted many corporate sponsors namely: ABI,
SAB Miller, Distell, Verizon Business, Wiphold, The Body Shop, Winchester
Marketing and Mangwanani, among others. Local businesses took advantage of this
event to exercise their social responsibility initiative, this included The
Youth & Beauty, Lerang Consulting, Siyayenza Communications & Events, Dr. Oscar
Mashishi, Dr. Sam Phalafala and Jack Budha.
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This was the most interactive event thus far. There was a strong and positive relationship between
the speakers and the audience. Brigitte Thompson, a Consultant in Behaviour
Management, spoke about Assertive Discipline and Positive Parenting. Parents are
no longer taking charge when it comes to disciplining children because they do
not prefer to come on too strong and do not know how to take charge. “Take
charge and be the boss”, she said. She shared the programme she is currently
implementing in most schools in the country to assist teachers to instill
positive behaviour in children.
Representing Quest, the National Transformation Manager Kenlynn Hoosen highlighted flexible employment opportunities available for women of all ages, young and old. Her message to the women was to advantage of short-term contracts as they enable one to build-up skills, competencies and a whole host of corporate cultures in a short space of time. There’s a tendency for people to ignore temporary jobs and prefer permanent jobs. Skill development opportunities get missed in the process that would add value in the long-term. |
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Tryphosa Ramano, Wiphold CFO, reminded the guests that they were responsible for their financial
well-being. She encouraged them to take advantage of the shares offered by
corporates such as the already announced Vodacom and Ellerines shares. Oupa
Mminele, representing Mamelodi Sundowns as the Executive Director spoke about
the lack of women leadership in the sports fraternity. He emphasised the need
for women to be in the fore-front in sport leadership as it is not only for men.
Asked by one of the guests what Mamelodi Sundowns was doing to assist the
community of Mamelodi to curb the challenges it faces daily with the youth drug
abuse of the substance called ‘two step’, commonly known as nyaupe. He
highlighted some initiatives that Mamelodi Sundowns is currently rolling-out in
the community, including SOS, but also hinted that more still needs to be done
by all, not just the club.
Not on the programme were two local women who requested to convey messages. Mrs. Nkuna, a retired nurse spoke about how an alarming increase in teenage pregnancies and the uncontrollable usage of nyaupe in Mamelodi. The next speaker shared her positive HIV positive status with the audience. She appealed to all the women in the audience to support their loved ones who are living with HIV and AIDS. ‘The best ARV I need is my family support, without it I will not survive”, she concluded. |
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A talented Bonolo Molosiwa entertained the guests with her beautiful voice. A definite bright future lies ahead for this young artist. This year’s event was very interactive and informative. The women who attended ranged from young to retired. It felt good to see happy women engaging and networking at that level. Women’s day is for all women and should be celebrated at all levels, not just at corporate. It was a very successful celebration and thank you to all the sponsors, the speakers and most importantly the women themselves – you were all amazing, ‘til next year. Makwande!Zodwa Nkosi |