PART2: Top 10 Inspirational South African Women
6. Elisabeth Bradley
Elisabeth Bradley was educated at the University of the Orange Free State (B Sc) and London University (M Sc). She was appointed Managing Director of Wesco Investments Ltd in 1986 and Executive Chairman in July 1991. She is also Chairman of Metair Investments Ltd. In December 2002 she was appointed non-executive chairman of Toyota SA Ltd, and she holds directorships of The Standard Bank Group Ltd, Tongaat Hulett Ltd, Sasol Ltd and Anglogold Ashanti Ltd. She is Deputy Chairman of the SA Institute of International Affairs, Chairman of the audit committee of Tongaat Hulett Ltd, and a member of the Council of the University of the Witwatersrand. Elisabeth Bradley was founding chairman of CDE’s Board and served in that capacity from 1995-2006.
Bradley has served on the boards of blue chip companies such as the Standard Bank Group, Tongaat Hulett and Sasol, and the Rosebank Inn. She is also on the Wits Business School Advisory Board. In 2007, she was honoured with a Manex Award, which recognises excellence in leadership.
7. Natalie DuToit
Born on January 29 was born, in Cape Town, South Africa. She earned herself a bachelors degree in science from the University of Cape Town, specializing in genetics and physiology. Natalie du Toit started her international swimming career at the age of 14, by competing in 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lampur. She was in an accident in 2001 causing her to lose a leg. This loss did not dampen her spirits.
She performed exceedingly well in 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, and set the world record by winning both the multi-disability 50m freestyle and the multi-disability 100 m freestyle swimming events. Natalie du Toit won the David Dixon Award for Outstanding Athlete at the Commonwealth Games.
In 2004, Natalie bagged five gold medals, and one silver medal in the Paralympics held at Athens. In the same year, she was nominated for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year 2004 with Disability Award. On May 3, 2008, Natalie du Toit got qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics after finishing fourth in the 10 km open water race at the Open Water World Championships in Seville, Spain. She was selected by her country’s Olympic Committee to carry their flag at the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony, making her the first disabled athlete to have this honour in an able-bodied Olympics.
Aside from her gold medal winning performance Natalie regularly participates in the Annual Cold Water Big Swim from Robben Island to Bloubergstrand to raise funds for the assistance of underprivileged children as well as adults. She is also associated with the cancer association in Cape, and is involved in a noble work of helping the sick.
8. Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron grew up on a farm outside Benoni, South Africa, as the only child. She got an education as a ballet dancer and has danced both the “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker”. There wasn’t much for a young actress or dancer to do in South Africa, so she soon travelled to Europe and United States of America, where she got job at the Joffrey Ballet in New York. She was also able to work as a photo model. However, an injured knee put a halt to her dancing career.
By the year 1998 Theron was now very much in demand. 1999 saw her in The Astronaut’s Wife, where she was the titular spouse of Johnny Depp. Here Depp has suffered an accident in space, and returned to Earth in a coma. When he awakes, he is altered, secretive and strange, and Theron first tries to reach him, then begins to fear having his child as something monstrous may well be afoot. No one believes her, as they didn’t in The Devil’s Advocate – the roles being somewhat similar. Once again Charlize would impress as a loyal wife wrecked by outside forces.An important day in her life was February 29th, 2004 when she was awarded with her first Academy Award for her performance in Monster (2003).
Though she no longer resides in South Africa, she is still seen as one of our very own. We pride ourselves in naming her amongst our local phenomenal women as she has gone beyond boarders proving that impossible is only a state of mind.
9. Precious Molio-Motsepe
Precious is an inspiration as she is an educated professional, a business woman, wife and mother.
A Doctor by profession and chairman of Southern Africa’s leading Fashion Weeks company, African Fashion International. 2012 saw the brand get Mercedes-Benz sponsorship and are now part of the international clique of MBFWs.
Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe is a Johannesburg based businesswoman. She is chairperson of African Fashion International (AFI), a company that owns and hosts Mercedes-Benz Fashion weeks in South Africa and Africa.
Dr. Moloi-Motsepe started her career in medicine at Wits University. She is Patron of Birdlife South Africa and Patron of Child Welfare South Africa. She is past President of the Cancer Association of South Africa and is now its lifetime member. She sits on the board of Synergos, an organization dedicated to addressing global poverty and social injustice through collaboration with governments, business and civil society, by creating sustainable systems change. She enjoys reading, travelling and watching football with her family. She is married to Patrice Motsepe; they live in Johannesburg with their 3 children.
She hasn’t left medicine, which is why she will always see herself as doctor. She will always be a Doctor. Her passion for global health issues led to the creation of the Johannesburg-based Motsepe Family Foundation which aims to empower poorer communities in South Africa through health and education. She is very involved with NGOs around health issues, mostly through the Motsepe Family Foundation. Women’s health is still one of her biggest passions. Her commitment to social change was sparked by 20 years of experience as a General Practitioner with a special interest in women’s health.
She is past-President of the Cancer Association of South Africa and serves on the boards of the Synergos Institute, an organisation dedicated to addressing global poverty and social injustice; Endeavor, a global non-profit organisation dedicated to transforming emerging countries by supporting high-impact entrepreneurs and the Women’s Leadership Board (Harvard Kennedy School) that supports research, teaching and training as well as the Women and Public Policy Programme in Gender Equality.
Precious has been appointed ‘Champion for Africa’ by Gift from Africa, a joint initiative of the Global Fund and Friends of the Global Fund that seeks to mobilise private sector support in Africa in the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
10. Bridgette Radebe
Bridgette Radebe, born Feb 26 is a South African Mine owner . She is one the richest black woman in Africa. Ms. Radebe was the first black South African deep level hard rock mining entrepreneur in the late 1980s. She has earned herself titles such as the founder and Executive Chairperson of Mmakau Mining, the President of the South African Mining Development Association, Vice Chairman of the Minerals and Mining Development Board advising the Minister of Minerals and Energy. She is also the founder and Board of Trustee member of the New Africa Mining Fund, and participated in the design of the South African Mining Charter and present mining legislation.
As founder and President of the Junior mining Chamber, in May 2008, she was honoured with an international Business Person of the Year Award and Bestowed by the Global Foundation for Democracy, the Business Person of the Year Award recognises the achievements of individuals who have made a difference in an ever-changing political and environmental landscape.
Ms. Radebe initially wanted to study law at Wits, but was barred because of her race.
But with her passion for entrepreneurship made her work even harder and nothing was going to stop her. She defied the legislation to start her firm Mmakau – named after the village in which she grew up – as a contracted company managing shaft mining operations and procurement for major firms.
Today her business is a success. She has more knowledge about deep-level mining than any woman – and most men – in the business.
This is only a hand full of South Africa’s successful women of note. In a country filled with such inspiring women to look up to, women in South Africa have their way to success paved. Minus all the struggles they encountered, young south African women have the responsibility maintaining the standard of greatness and of carrying this legacy on to generations to come. Women’s month should not only be a milestone on which we reflect but should be a daily inspiration to push ourselves beyond any boarders of restrictions and make a success out of our lives and of our country.
