Planning the Future of Thebe Ya Mosadi
By Daisy Mohlomi
Thebe is committed to giving women equal opportunities in the workplace. The establishment of Thebe Ya Mosadi, a Women’s Empowerment Programme, in 2012 was to help female employees gain the necessary insights and skills to develop their leadership abilities. Over the years, this premise has not changed. The women are given the opportunity to position themselves for growth in their careers and within the group. Thebe Ya Mosadi focus areas range from understanding learned behaviours relating to oppression and gender, to the development of leadership skills. The programme is delivered through various platforms to the women in the Thebe Group including a celebratory Women’s Day event during Women’s month.
In order to ensure that the programmes of Thebe Ya Mosadi are relevant to the Thebe women at all levels Refiloe Nkadimeng, custodian for the Thebe Ya Mosadi initiative, arranged a workshop with all company representatives. The aim was to engage on various aspects of the initiative such as:
- Purpose of the Thebe Ya Mosadi Programme and Committee
- Vision and mission
- Challenges facing the Committee (and programme)
- Action plans for the upcoming 3 years
The workshop was facilitated by Ms Nici Turnbull of The Human Capital Engine. Thebe Times spoke to her to get her views on the initiative and its plans.
- You are familiar with the Thebe Group and what it stands for. What is your take on the Thebe Ya Mosadi initiative in relation to the Groups’ vision?
Thebe’s Chairman, Mr Vusi Khanyile, has always spoken passionately about Thebe’s desire to be an inclusive and equitable organisation (thus reflecting the ethos of its founding spirit). I believe that the Thebe Ya Mosadi initiative and its focus on women in the workplace is a commitment to Thebe’s desire for inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.
- How was the interaction with the committee members? Do you feel that there is a lot of buy-in and passion for the cause?
I found the women present at the workshop to be dynamic, engaged and deeply committed to women empowerment in the Thebe Group.
- What can the committee do to ensure that the planned programmes are relevant and sustainable?
I believe that the conversations during the workshop really focused on these concepts and that the plans drafted on the day will support both relevance and sustainability. That having been said, I feel that each and every company in the Thebe Group needs to actively engage in both the committee (through representation) and the programmes driven by Thebe Ya Mosadi in order to create the critical mass needed for true impact and sustainability.
- Thebe has a Men’s Forum, Thebe Esquire. How do you think the two, Thebe Esquire and Thebe Ya Mosadi can work together towards a common goal even when the focus is on different genders?
It is human nature that empowering one party can make the other party feel disempowered. For this reason it is vital that the conversations regarding empowerment take place across gender boundaries. Also remember that men raise empowered or disempowered daughters so, with a view to the future; the inclusion of men in this conversation is vital.
- What were the highlights of the workshop for you?
The highlight was realising the calibre of women that Thebe has in its midst. They say that any programme is only as successful as the people who drive it and, if that is true, then Thebe Ya Mosadi has no reason to fail.
- Do you have any words of wisdom to share with the Thebe Times readers to encourage participation in the initiative and the programmes thereof?
Steve Biko said that the greatest weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed. In line with this concept, we cannot expect other people to empower us. We have to start the empowerment process within ourselves and grab the opportunities that are presented to us as women. Thebe Ya Mosadi will be presenting many opportunities for women to grow within the Thebe Group but the responsibility still falls on each individual to participate and utilise the opportunities presented.
Following the workshop, the Committee is proud to share the Thebe Ya Mosadi purpose statement of “Thebe women igniting the power within ourselves and others.”