BWASA empowers businesswomen of tomorrow

In an effort to motivate Grade 10 school girls to reach their full potential and achieve success in their journey towards womanhood, the Limpopo branch of the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa (Bwasa) hosted a ‘Businesswomen of Tomorrow’ workshop on Saturday.
The workshop was attended by 68 learners from Mokopane and Extension 44, Polokwane and presentations were made by speakers that included grooming and etiquette specialist Sharon Stander, Miss Limpopo Teen Lesego Matheba, business mentor and lecturer Nokwazi Mzobe, financial literacy advisor Madelyn Scheepers and medical specialist Lorna Maphuthuma. Matheba was also the programme director. Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba delivered the keynote address and quoted former President Nelson Mandela to have said: “The legacy of oppression weighs heavily on women. 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. As long as the nation refuses to acknowledge the equal role of more than half of itself, it is doomed to failure”.
“We therefore need to look back and ask what have we done to ensure that women in this country are empowered, that they take their rightful place in the society not as part of the statistics and balancing of quotas, on this one we dare not to fail hence organisations like this one are needed to make sure that this happens,” Ramathuba said.
She added that efforts like the workshop were key in highlighting the current role of women in leadership and acts to collectively advocate on business and economic issues in an effort to transform the economy and women’s participation and dividends in that economy.
Ramathuba advised the young girls not to give in to peer pressure. “It is not about where you come from or your family background, it is about where you want to go in life. Live your life with integrity, self-love, self-respect, knowing that you are beautiful, do not give in to peer pressure to be someone you are not, to love finer things in life which you or your parents cannot afford, follow your dreams, your passion and be yourself all the time,” Ramathuba urged.
“As professional businesswomen, we recognise that many promising young ladies may never be afforded the opportunity to learn how to make informed career choices, strike a balance between the emotional and academic demands, manage their finances and be inspired by successful women.
“Through initiatives such as the Businesswoman of Tomorrow workshop, we hope to increase private, academic and public sector partnership by encouraging the private sector to sponsor events of this nature,” Mmabogoshi Msiza, Chairperson of Bwasa Limpopo explained as she outlined the purpose of the workshop that will be covered in a series of three hour sessions over a period of five months.
Lebogang Galane, a Grade 10 learner from Kgaba Secondary School said she appreciated the opportunity to be part of the workshop and that it was very informative.

Lekwa Secondary School learners Lupercia Mashego and Grace Monametjie and Ntata High School learners Loveness Sewada and Mashimbye Bohlale.

Story and photos: BARRY VILJOEN
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