Tag: Women

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure and leader of the political party “Good”, Patricia de Lille. Minister de Lille shares some of her mandates to manage, maintain and grow government’s land and property assets, a portfolio valued at approximately R5trillion. During her time as mayor of Cape Town the region experienced severe drought and with a major concern of day zero – where taps would run dry. She shares some of the interventions she applied to identify alternative water sources instead of solely relying on rain water and campaigning for the public to curb their water consumption and take responsibility for the collective community to think about water as a finite resource. Minister de Lille is one of the only women to launch a political party in South Africa. She attributes her longevity and achievements in politics to applying the rule of the game and standing firm on her principles, one of which is fearing no on. Tune in for more…

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January 19, 2023

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure – Patricia de Lille

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure and leader of the political party “Good”, Patricia de Lille. Minister de Lille shares some of h...

The start of a new year symbolises new beginnings. Motivation can be a powerful catalyst to pursue your goals and seek changes that perhaps challenge society’s expectations. Today’s collection of vignettes are about pursuing passions and being instigators of change. We hear from Professor Caroline Ncube who heads up the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Cape Town, Dr Heide Hackman Director of Future Africa and Strategic Advisor on Transdisciplinarity and Global Knowledge Networks at the University of Pretoria and Judge Carol Sibya from the KwaZulu Natal division of the High Court. Professor Caroline Ncube demonstrates how education has impacted on her own family,  where each generation did better than the previous one and the reason for that frequently hinged on the education  that they had acquired. She discusses building support systems and recognizing that as we go through life we pass certain stages and that you need to accept the stage at where you are and then just operate within the realm of what is possible within that stage and as you progress to other stages. Lastly, she reminds young women to seize the moment, the continent is wide open, reach out, take it. Our next guest is Dr Heide Hackman, who is the Director and Advisor on Transdisciplinarity and Global Knowledge Networks at the Future Africa Institute at the University of Pretoria. Dr Hackman shares some insight into her leadership style, which includes being inspirational (thinking BIG), being an effective enabler and decision maker, being authentic, connecting to people on a human level, and leading by example - don’t be afraid to roll your sleeves up and get your hands dirty, it’s team work. Our final guest is High Court Judge Carol Sibiya, who hails from the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court. We start the discussion with an emphasis on law as an instrument to bring change, particularly in terms of gender equality gains. We remark on the progress of women’s rights in South Africa and the positive effects that representation of women in different spaces has on people’s psyche, to understand the breadth of possibilities available to them. In closing, she states the one thing she would like to instill in every person is never accept a different voice telling you what you cannot do.  Believe in yourself and do your best whatever the circumstances and when you fail (which will invariably happen) pick yourself up. Sometimes it might mean going back to the drawing board, sometimes it might just mean going at it again.  But never accept failure as the final answer.  We hope that this selection of journeys inspires you to pursue and own your unique space. Best wishes for 2023.

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January 5, 2023

2023 New Year: Women in Leadership: Reach for the Stars

The start of a new year symbolises new beginnings. Motivation can be a powerful catalyst to pursue your goals and seek changes that perhaps challenge society’s expectations. Today’s collection of vignettes are about...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, in our series on women in medicine, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Ledile Mokoka who specialises in nephrology at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital. Kidney disease is often a secondary effect of other conditions like hypertension and diabetes, according to the diabetesatlas.org,  24 million people in Africa (1 in 22) have diabetes.  These are non-communicable diseases that could be prevented if adequate awareness and education were offered to communities.  We discuss some of the kidney disorders that she treats and highlight conditions that women are more predisposed too. We note the healthcare challenges that women living in rural areas are exposed to, including the lack of access to facilities and presenting late stage diagnoses. Dr. Mokoka shares signs for women to be on the lookout for (like fatigue, loss of appetite and nausea) and address with health care practitioners. Tune in for more…

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December 14, 2022

Dr Ledile Mokoka – Nephrologist – Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital (rebroadcast)

Reflecting on some of our past shows from 2022, tune into our previous conversation with Dr. Ledile Mokoka who specialises in nephrology at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital. Kidney disease is often a secondary eff...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Delmaine Christians who represents the Democratic Alliance party in parliament and is a member of the select committee on education and technology, sports, arts and culture (NCOP Committee) and the select committee on Health Social and Services (NCOP Committee) We discuss her journey into politics from the education sector, which laid a strong foundation for her role in parliament. Playing an oversight role in local, provincial and national processes to identify faults in the current system and finding solutions to resolve challenges. For instance, the knock-on effect electricity cuts (loadshedding) have on water access for the Dikgatlong community in the Northern Cape province. We discuss the economic cost of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa as well as the social and psychological damage it causes to victims. Although government has allocated funding to address GBV not enough is being done to curb it, including resources in the police, health and social services. Unfortunately, many women get lost in the system and do not receive appropriate care which impacts their recovery. Ms Christians considers education, grit, perseverance and developing a thick skin as some of the factors that contributed to her success. Tune in for more.

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November 23, 2022

Delmaine Christians – Member of Parliament representing the Democratic Alliance

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Delmaine Christians who represents the Democratic Alliance party in parliament and is a member of the select committee on education and technology, ...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to the CEO of Clicks Group Bertina Engelbrecht. Clicks is a leading health and beauty retailer listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange with over 800 stores and more than 600 in-store pharmacies and a loyalty programme exceeding 9.7 million active members. Ms Engelbrecht shares some of her career milestones with local and multinational corporates and her three core building blocks of fairness, equity and justice. We remark on common challenges that women experience in the boardroom and solutions; from showing up as an effective contributor to making your voice heard through quality preparation. She sees the role of leaders as removing obstacles that stand in the way of people’s performance, providing the resources for people to do their jobs well and motivating them to derive solutions for themselves. There is an underrepresentation of female CEOs on listed companies, but the women who hold these posts have a great sense of purpose to show that women CEOs are tremendous assets to any organisation and realise that through mentorship more women will rise to the top of corporate hierarchies. On the topic of education Ms Englebrecht notes that education empowers people and is a way of reaffirming and building confidence; furthermore, when a girl child is educated her life and her family’s changes for the better. #Womeninleadership Tune in for more….

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November 3, 2022

Bertina Engelbrecht – CEO Clicks Group: Women leading from the front

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to the CEO of Clicks Group Bertina Engelbrecht. Clicks is a leading health and beauty retailer listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange with over 800...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Lizanne Langenhoven who is a clinical and radiation oncologist with the Panorama Mediclinic in Cape Town. October is breast cancer awareness month, which serves as an annual international campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer; and 13 October is International Metastatic Breast Cancer Day. In today’s conversation we continue to raise awareness of this important issue that effects many women and their families across the continent. From a breast cancer awareness perspective Dr. Langenhoven encourages women to take responsibility for themselves and loved ones, being our sisters’ keepers and ensuring we have regular screenings. Early detection of cancer is half the battle. Dr. Langenhoven shares her team’s multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment, where experts from their respective disciplines work collaboratively - seeing the same case through different eyes to derive the most suitable treatment for the patient. Cancer research is ongoing and newer treatments have become highly targeted honing into specific cancer cells to deliver therapy at a cellular level. Medicine is still a male dominated field and this sometimes impacts on the way that female doctors are perceived by patients, the way they put in double the effort required to perform their work, and causes them to mimic male voices rather than embracing their female emotive voices of empathy, care and love. Dr. Langenhoven is actively shifting the narrative to combine male and female voices to deliver the best of both to treat patients and personnel more holistically and humanly. We note that working women, whether professionals or shift workers, experience universal challenges of fulfilling their work commitments at the expense of their home lives, and consider there is room to change the current status quo to one that allows women to achieve greater balance in their lives, without compromising their responsibilities. Tune in for more…

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October 19, 2022

Breast Cancer Awareness with Dr. Lizanne Langenhoven

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Lizanne Langenhoven who is a clinical and radiation oncologist with the Panorama Centre For Surgical Oncology in Cape Town. October is breast...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Dineo Tshabalala, who is a medical oncologist at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital (CMJAH) and senior lecturer at the University of Witwatersrand. October is breast cancer awareness month, which serves as an annual international campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer; and 13 October is International Metastatic Breast Cancer Day. In today’s conversation we unpack some of the stats, early warning signs, risk factors, preventative measures and treatments. According to the 2019 National Cancer Registry (NCR), apart from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women of all races, with a lifetime risk of 1 in 27 in South Africa. Dr. Tshabalala highlights some of the modifiable risk factors that may cause cancer like alcohol, smoking and unhealthy diets. She mentions that diseases like diabetes, obesity and HIV can make women more susceptible to developing breast cancer. She also discusses the role of genetics. Early detection of breast cancer increases survival outcomes and women play a critical role in checking themselves for abnormalities and seeking out further screenings with healthcare practitioners. Dr. Tshabalala also shares her journey to medicine and reasons for specialising in oncology. She reminds us of the importance of hard work, perseverance, persistency and constantly driving forward to materialise your dreams to live the life you deserve. Tune in for more…

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October 13, 2022

Breast Cancer Awareness with Dr. Dineo Tshabalala – Medical Oncologist at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Dineo Tshabalala, who is a medical oncologist at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital (CMJAH) and senior lecturer at the University of Witwate...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Mimmy Martha Gondwe, who is a member of parliament representing the Democratic Alliance and member of the Portfolio Committee of Public Service as well as Administration and the Joint Constitutional Review Committee. Dr. Gondwe refers to herself as a reluctant politician. She is driven to make a difference in people’s lives and veered from law to politics as the vehicle that could deliver meaningful impact on people. We discuss the importance of women playing active roles in politics from voting to participating in political structures. Political decisions have economic consequences which affect the lives of women, and thus its vital that their voices are heard, especially since they represent more than fifty percent of the population. We acknowledge that gender inequalities still exist and mention patriarchy as an impediment to progress. However, we consider that through socialisation, shifting mindsets, gender sensitivity training, changing legislative frameworks and education as mechanisms to reduce inequality and enable women to play their full roles in society. Dr. Gondwe emphasises the power of education in the hands of women, reflecting that you don’t have the choice of which family you are born into or the economic circumstances that you are brought up in, but education helps women make the right choices for themselves to become the person they want to be and build the lives they envisioned. Tune in for more…

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October 5, 2022

Dr. Mimmy Martha Gondwe – Democratic Alliance Member of Parliament and Member of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr. Mimmy Martha Gondwe, who is a member of parliament representing the Democratic Alliance and member of the Portfolio Committee of Public Service ...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr Jyoti Bajpai, a Professor of Medical Oncology at the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai India and Dr Nermean Mostafa a lecturer of clinical oncology and early detection at the Ain Shams University in Cairo Egypt. They share some of their motivations for pursuing oncology as a specialisation and give an overview of the field in their countries. For example, Egypt has an intensive screening campaign for early detection of cancer and is improving palliative care. India has a population of more than 1.4 billion people and has wide variations in the type of care and infrastructure available to citizens, however there is a marked deficit of oncologists to cancer patients, currently the ratio stands at 1:2000, whereas in the USA it is 1:100. We note some of the challenges female oncologists experience, which often stem from social stereotypes and patriarchal cultures that limit people’s perceptions of women reducing them to mothers and care givers, not seeing them as professionals who excel in their chosen fields. Our discussion centres on the recent Global Women for Oncology Summit (GLOWS) which received delegates from every continent. GLOWS addressed pressing issues faced by women in their careers, such as how to navigate politics in the workplace, how to break the glass ceiling, the importance of #networking and the value of #mentorship and #sponsorship. We discuss distance mentorship, as a concept implemented through digital platforms to provide mentorship between women in different regions. Some of the benefits of this mode of mentorship for women include saving on travel expenses like accommodation or visas, the ability to remain at home and maintain family responsibilities, and connecting to the right mentor irrespective of geographic location. Tune in for more…

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September 21, 2022

Oncology Specialists Prof. Jyoti Bajpai (India) & Dr Nermean Mostafa (Egypt)

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Dr Jyoti Bajpai, a Professor of Medical Oncology at the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai India and Dr Nermean Mostafa a lecturer of clinical oncology ...

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, for our series on women in the judiciary, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Lindiwe Rusi from the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Mthatha. Judge Rusi’s disciplined upbringing compelled her to strive for order and equity, which formed foundational values for a vocation in law. During the early part of her career she was involved with several outreach programmes delivering much needed legal knowledge to underserved communities, particularly in areas of customary and family law, domestic violence and access to justice. Reflecting on recent amendments to Acts affecting women, Judge Rusi mentions changes to The Criminal Law Sexual Offences and Related Matters Amendment Act Amendment Bill. For example, amendments to the main statutes governing court processes in superior and lower courts makes provision for additional procedures in respect of how witnesses, especially victims of gender based violence, give evidence in court, such as using audio visual facilities, to help reduce secondary victimisation of those victims, because in the process of giving evidence they are forced to relive the experiences. The Domestic Violence Amendment Act sees new definitions of what constitutes domestic violence and places obligations on functionaries of government departments, like the way police render service to victims of domestic violence. To further advance gender equality Judge Rusi considers there are opportunities for government to implement policies aimed at ensuring gender parity and guard the right to equality. Additionally, society needs to stop typecasting women into traditional gender roles. Women should not allow anything or anyone to undervalue their self-worth and derail their dreams. Tune in for more…

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August 17, 2022

Judge Lindiwe Rusi – Eastern Cape Division of the High Court

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, for our series on women in the judiciary, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Judge Lindiwe Rusi from the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Mthatha. Judge Rusi’s discipline...

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