As Women’s Month draws to a close, in my capacity as the chair of the Aunt Laura Mpahlwa Foundation, I wish to pay homage to her, together with all the other women of similar stature for the sacrifices made in the emancipation of women in South Africa and the world at large.
In my reflections on Women’s Month in the past three decades of democracy, I am encouraged by the strides we have made as a nation when it comes to women’s representation and inclusivity in the workplace since 1994, particularly women taking up leadership roles. While we have made progress as a nation, which is commendable, there is still a significant gap between male and female representation in the boardrooms.
According to the BoardEx Insights Diversity Report of 2020, an average of 27.9% of the board members of the Top 40 listed companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange are women, which demonstrates a tremendous gap in power-sharing and real gender transformation. Furthermore, according to the UN, in 2020 only 47% of women of working age participated in the labour market compared to 74% of men.
These statistics say a lot about the work that still needs to be done in achieving inclusivity and gender equality not only in our country but globally. The mammoth task of bridging this gap should not be left to women alone but requires men and all other stakeholders in positions of power or influence to ensure that women’s empowerment and inclusivity in the workplace are at the centre of every organisation’s existence.
Having served with Aunt Laura in various capacities focusing on community development, human rights, and social upliftment in the Eastern Cape and nationally, I always had a profound admiration for her leadership skills and ability to pull together resources across various sectors such as health, education, and business for the betterment of the lives of the most vulnerable.
Examples of these skills can be demonstrated through the role she played in the establishment of Eluxolweni Umtata Street Child & Youth Programme, Umtata International School, at which we were founding trustees, Siyakhana Youth Outreach and Education Programme, and many others that are still in existence to this day.
It is important for us as the ALM Foundation to align our mission to promoting life-changing programmes through advocacy and active citizenry, drawing from the legacy of our patron, Aunt Laura, focusing on service and social responsibility. This includes building trust with communities and strategic partners alike in the areas of philanthropy, based on the principles of compassion, equality, inclusiveness, and ubuntu.
Indeed, there are valuable lessons we can learn from Aunt Laura’s ability to identify a social injustice in the community and how she would actively engage all relevant stakeholders to address that injustice for the benefit of not only herself (or her family) but the community at large.
With this in mind, I am reminded of the old African adage, which says, “If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far, go together”, as captured by keynote speaker, Gloria “Tomato” Serobe, earlier this year at the Inaugural Memorial Lecture in honour of Aunt Laura.
It is indeed a crucial time for us to translate this kind of thought leadership and spirit of collectivism into actionable plans that will build our country together as public representatives, citizens, and business leaders
In her address, Serobe contrasted Aunt Laura with the “social entrepreneurship theory”, describing social entrepreneurs as people who… “appear to make quite deliberate decisions to solve social problems, rather than simply stumbling into their work by accident; are bold and audacious, and their ideas are big with grand impacts; are desperate for impact on the communities they serve; keep going for the greater good even at personal cost to themselves and their families; and have an obsession with family values and generational legacies, especially education...”
Having been mentored and groomed under the leadership of Aunt Laura and many other women stalwarts, Serobe described our patron as a social entrepreneur. In getting society to aspire to and emulate these values, she identified the need to energise our nation, particularly the youth, into being social entrepreneurs in an Aunt Laura way.
She makes a valid point that we need to unite our individual sense of pride and patriotism so that we can ensure we turn around the trajectory of our country. I agree with her conclusion that our collective spirit to serve will be the driver and critical success factor.
It is indeed a crucial time for us to translate this kind of thought leadership and spirit of collectivism into actionable plans that will build our country together as public representatives, citizens, and business leaders.
• Adv Ntsebeza SC is the board chairperson of the Aunt Laura Mpahlwa Foundation.
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