Foundation publishes second Malibongwe booklet

Oct 29, 2008 – Following the success of the Malibongwe Dialogue, held on August 22 this year, the Nelson Mandela Foundation has published the second Malibongwe igama lamakhosikazi booklet.

A result of a collaboration between the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and Dialogue, the National Youth Commission and the Department of Arts and Culture, this dialogue was aimed at charting a way forward for the participation of women in the economy. The event was attended by more than 250 participants from business, government and civil society.

The two themes for this year’s dialogue were “Business Unusual: Speeding up Economic Empowerment for Women” and “Harvesting From Each Other”. In the first session, participants shared ways in which women have provided support and mentoring to other women. The second session explored ways in which these support structures could be strengthened and shared ways in which this generation can learn from the past, from youth to stalwarts. The two sessions were moderated by businesswomen Angie Makwetla, founder and CEO of Makwetla and Associates and Cheryl Carolus, founder and executive chair of Peotona Holdings, respectively.

The Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Ntombazana Botha, opened the dialogue with an insightful speech that also celebrated Tata Madiba’s mother, Nosekeni. The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Elisabeth Thabethe, closed by acknowledging the hard work done by all present, both men and women, who have contributed a lot to the emancipation of women. She also emphasised the importance of this year’s theme: Business Unusual: All Power to Women.

The panellists were:

• BComm student and member of the Young South African Women in Dialogue – Naledi Kekana
• Chairperson of the National Youth Commission – Nomi Nkondlo
• Businesswoman and Director of the women’s empowerment group Peotona Holdings – Thandi Orleyn
• CEO of the Moral Regeneration Movement – Zandile Mdhladla
• President of the Businesswomen’s Association – Basetsana Khumalo
• Board member of the June 16th 1976 Foundation – Antoinette Sithole
• Founding Member of Men’s Forum – Mbuyiselo Botha
• Director of the National Youth Commission – Nomi Kondlo
• Author (Love and Courage: A Story of Insubordination) – Pregs Govender

These panellists shared their stories with the participants who then dissected the themes with the aim of identifying ways of planting seeds not just for this generation, but for generations to come. The women motivated each other to discover new ways of doing “business unusual”.

We would like to acknowledge the team that worked to make this dialogue successful: Phola Mabizela, Yoliswa Makhasi, Palesa Notsi, Molly Loate, Yase Godlo, Lee Davies, Naomi Warren, Fungi Rakoena, Sekete Khanye and Mothomang Diaho.

You can obtain a printed copy of the booklet from the Nelson Mandela Foundation by calling (011) 728 1000 or emailing nmf@nelsonmandela.org, or you can download a pdf version of the second Malibongwe igama lamakhosikazi booklet.