Women empowerment at Thebe

Thebe is a gender-friendly group and takes women empowerment seriously. Thebe believes women generally possess an innate love and care for broader societal issues, including ensuring that no person get unduly left behind or becomes a subject of victimisation.

It is on the back of this realisation that the Thebe Group, does not only talk about the women empowerment project, it has embraced and have put the concept into practical use, which has seen the company go beyond the national average on the implementation of the Equity Employment [EE] programme as required by legislation.

The company lives the mantra: ‘When you empower a woman you empower the nation’. Thus out of the eight executive committee members at Thebe, three are female. At board level, Thebe has six female board members in a 13-member board. Some of the company’s subsidiaries like Thebe Tourism Retail Group and Thebe Connect are led by women CEO’s. Furthermore, Thebe as a group employs more women than men. At Thebe, 46,2% of the board (top management) is female and 37.5% our senior management (executive committee) is female.

Dineo Molefe

Dineo Molefe, Group Financial Director for Thebe Investment Corporation, exudes a deep sense of love for issues of community development. In particular, she points to the need to assist women become self-sufficient, especially in matters of economic well-being. Molefe’s sense of selflessness, has led her to make significant contribution in community upliftment  programmes,  in  particular in areas of education, where she has been in the forefront in encouraging learners to enter the field of accounting.

Zukie Siyotula

Zukie Siyotula, CEO of Thebe Capital, believes once you have armed yourself with education and knowledge, no one will dictate to you how you conduct your life but yourself. She believes if you have education and focus on excellence, those are the best weapons against racism. For Siyotula, Thebe is highly interested in community development which is the basis on which has decided to dig her heels in at Thebe and assist with the realisation of the vision and growth plans of the organisation.

Nonhlanhla Mabusela

Nonhlanhla Mabusela, CEO  of Thebe  Mining Resources, had the courage and determination to enter the fields that are generally regarded as the male preserves. She believes women have their strengths and positive attributes and they must use this to their advantage. Women must not fall into the trap of trying to behave like men. This will result in the businesses and society losing out on vital contributions that only women can make, such as assisting organisations to lead with a heart and not only being profit centred.

Mariam Cassim

Mariam Cassim, who heads the lofty position of CEO of Thebe Connect, is extremely passionate about community development but also has valuable skills in finance and general business management as she completed a Master’s in Business Administration at the University of Cape Town. Her role at Thebe allows her to combine passion with skill, and the opportunity to be a part of an organisation where community development is part of its DNA.

With these women at the forefront of leading Thebe into the business world of tomorrow, the future is certainly looking bright.