Women are more likely than men to go into business because of a lack of better opportunities.
We are surrounded with stories of men who are doing well in business.
It’s easy to think women can’t make it in the the hard-knock world of business. Yet they can, and they do.
If you’re feeling defeated by the hurdles of starting your own business and need some inspiration, here are quotes from five South African women who are dominating their fields.
Bridgette Radebe
“Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.”
Radebe came from humble beginnings and started her career by managing individual shaft mining operations and producing materials for larger mine operations.
She started at Mmakau Mining in 1980, a firm which helps produce platinum, gold, and chrome.
Born in 1960, she grew up in the height of apartheid where black people were not permitted to hold mining licences.
However, she was born into an entrepreneurial family which opposed these oppressive rules. This inspired her to defy the apartheid government and go after her dreams. Her net worth is about R1 billion.
Radebe’s brother is billionaire Patrice Motsepe while her husband is the former minister of mineral resources and energy, Jeff Radebe.
Wendy Appelbaum
“Whatever you do, best you be passionate about it.”
She is a business leader, philanthropist and is among the richest women in Africa, estimated to be worth about R2.6bn.
Appelbaum is the chairperson of De Morgenzon Wine Estate, a wine, and agricultural business in Stellenbosch, among other titles she holds.
In 2006, Appelbaum was recognised as one of the leading female entrepreneurs in the world.
Appelbaum studied psychology at Wits University. Her father, Sir Donald Gordon, was a business magnate and founded Liberty Life Association in 1957.
Appelbaum says she learned some amazing skills such as attention to detail, determination, work ethic, and patience from her father. However, he was more of a role model than he was a mentor to her.
She worked with her father at the Liberty Group, and became a director at Liberty Investors.
Dr Judy Dlamini
“If you empower yourself, you will respect yourself and you will not stay in relationships that make you feel less. No one has a right to make you feel less about yourself.”
Dr Dlamini is the owner and executive chair of Mbekani Group, a company which houses operational and investment businesses, including the luxury multi-brand chain of Jimmy Choo and Luminance. She is also Chancellor of Wits University.
She was the senior manager for HSBC South Africa. She holds a PhD in business leadership from Unisa, among others. Her net worth is estimated at R124 million.
She served as the chairperson of the board of Aspen Pharmacare Holdings from November 2007 until December 2015.
Dr Dlamini was named one of Africa’s 50 most powerful women by Forbes Magazine in 2020.
Wendy Ackerman
“Everything is possible. Impossible just takes a little longer.”
Ackerman is a non-executive director of Pick n Pay Holdings Limited. She was appointed a director in 1981.
She was a key figure in the development of the Pick n Pay brand with her husband, Raymond Ackerman. Ackerman began her career in the 1960s as a teacher at the English Academy in Soweto.
Among her many achievements, in 2021 she was given the Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Forbes Best of Africa Awards. Her net worth is estimated at R2.7bn.
Ackerman is also involved in environmental conservation. She was acknowledged by WWF (SA) as a Diamond Custodian of Table Mountain.
Nhlanhla Mjoli-Mncube
“Before Nurcha (National Urban Reconstruction and Housing Agency), there were no bridge-finance loans for black or female contractors in South Africa, the company changed all that.”
Nhlanhla Mjoli-Mncube is a powerhouse with decades of experience in business, and an estimated net worth of R94m.
She is the CEO of Eziko Investments, a non-executive director of Capitec Bank Holdings, and the deputy CEO of Nurcha Finance Company, among others.
She is a past winner of the Businesswoman of the Year Award, Top Woman of the 90s, Finance Woman of the Year, and the Black Businesswoman of the Year Award.
Mjoli-Mncube has served as the economic advisor for former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma.
IOL Business