Aspire to Inspire

To celebrate the courageous spirit of the African woman, Thebe Ya Mosadi hosted an inspirational Women’s Day event, which included an impressive line-up of guest speakers. In a nod to African fashion, all who attended were also asked to add an African print element to their outfits.

“When you educate a woman, you educate a nation.” This was the message from host Refiloe Nkadimeng, Thebe Group Financial Director, as she welcomed the guests to the event. The first speaker was former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene, who gave a speech about Thebe women and how inspiring they are. He lauded the powerful women in South African by ending off with Maya Angelou’s emotive poem Phenomenal Women.

Popular actress Nomzamo Mbatho embraced her role as Master of Ceremonies and, with humour, passion and emotion, guided the guests through the event. She also introduced each speaker including Thandiwe Mnguni, whose topic was Thebe Lifestyle; former Miss South Africa Thuli Sithole, with her speech Aspire to Inspire; Thebe Unico CEO Honey Mamabolo, who delivered a motivational message through her I am Possible speech; and ending off the programme, the closing remarks came from Nell Mondi.

Thebe has partnered with the Imbumba Foundation in support of their Caring4Girls programme, and it was an honour to have the founder of the initiative, Richard Mabaso, share his story about why he launched Caring4Girls. To further assist this hugely worthwhile programme, Thebe Ya Mosadi also pledged R1 for every retweet to @Caring4Girls. One of the highlights of the Women’s Day event was when a beneficiary of Caring4Girls, 18-year-old Sarah Sithole, delivered a moving poem entitled I have a name, that received a standing ovation.

The day was a celebration of women and the underlying message of “owning your voice”, was movingly realised during the panel discussion, where women shared their stories of triumph and overcoming difficulties. Throughout the event there were also lucky draws, with prizes that included luxurious spa treatments. To promote female entrepreneurs there were also stalls with an array of products on sale, from clothing to jewellery. The exhibitors were: Dalise Jansen, Khwin B, P&H Boutique, House of Mandela, Phela Wellness, Thebe Ya Bophelo, and Synergise Spa.

Thank you to everyone who brought sanitary towels, we collected 136 packs. We would also like to say a big thank you to Thebe Investment Corporation, the event’s main sponsor, as well as Khwin B, P&H Boutique, JLT, Travelex, Thebe Tourism Group, Thebe Ya Bophelo, Phela Wellness, LabourNet, Indwe Risk Services, Club Travel, and Cape Point Partnership.

It was a hugely successful event that delivered a powerful and inspiring message about the important role of women in South Africa.