The Rep 6 August 2021

10 Tel: (045) 839-4040 / editorial: mjekulal@therep.co.za / advertising: charodinev@therep.co.za 6 August 2021 THE R E P R ES E N TAT I V E
Doors opening wider for women, 65 years after
REP REPORTER
It has been 65 years since the march to
the Union Buildings in Pretoria to
protest against passes for women took
place on August 9 1956.
Today, there is still only one female
CEO in the top 40 of the JSE, Anglo
American Platinum’s Natascha Viljoen.
Though there is a long way to go
before women have a more equal place
at the boardroom table, there is progress
that is worth celebrating.
Initially a boys-only club (much like
all other industries at the time), the real
estate industry has since transformed
into one where women are a force with
which to be reckoned.
“RE/MAX was the first to open its
doors to female agents back in 1973
when the brand launched in Denver,
C o l o ra d o .
“Today, roughly 60% of our South
African network are women. Females
are also some of our highest earners.
“Last year, our Top Two Earning
Broker/Owners were both women,
namely Marieth Kloppers and Kobie
Potgieter. Our Top Individual last year
was also a woman [Narina Fischer] and
our Top Team last year was led by a
woman [Deanne Hamilton],” s ay s
Amanda Cuba, director and COO of
RE/MAX of Southern Africa.
Cuba herself is an example of a
successful woman within the RE/MAX
network. As the ex-CEO of the
diversified investment and management
consultancy group ZCAPITAL, Cuba
joined RE/MAX as a BEE partner at the
end of 2014 and assumed the role of
COO for the Southern Africa region.
Equipped with a BBusSc (Hons) from
UCT, Cuba worked her way up from the
humble streets of Gugulethu to the
RE/MAX executive team, joining coregional
owners Vicky Goslett (CMO)
and Adrian Goslett (CEO).
As a twin to yet another incredibly
successful woman in business – Yo l a n d a
Cuba, group chief digital and Fintech
officer at MTN – Amanda attributes her
success to both the circumstances of her
upbringing and the inspirational women
who helped raise her: “Our mom gave
us the belief that we can be anything
that we wanted to be.
“She encouraged us to be adventure
seekers and taught uswe are capable of
anything we put our minds to.”
Cuba provides the perfect example
of how the right attitude can empower
women to reach positions of power in
business no matter their background or
c i rc u m s t a n c e s .
“Times are changing and women are
capable of much more than they might
think possible,” she remarks.
A report in Lightstone Property’s July
newsletter reveals that “black females
own 215,000 more properties in 2021
than the 690,000 owned in 2011, while
white males own 40,000 fewer
properties than were owned in 2011
[down from 500,000]. This excludes
joint ownerships, which has remained
almost consistent over the period”.
“I encourage all females not to limit
their potential by falsely believing that
external forces will make it impossible
for them to become successful.
“Yes, the journey is likely to be more
challenging, but with the right attitude
and determination, anything is possible.
“Whether you are aiming to one day
afford your own home or want to be the
second woman CEO to make it onto the
list of the JSE Top 40, never give up hope
and you never know where you might
just end up,” Cuba says.
‘Incompetence’ cause of
historical building’s demise
Shining the spotlight on
exceptional female PR role
models and mentors
SAD STATE: A homeless young man sits next to a heap of smouldering ash inside the vandalised
building that once housed the municipal art gallery
ABONGILE SOLUNDWANA
The vandalism and recent fire at
the building housing the
municipal art gallery was due to
the failed security system,
political interference and
incompetence in the human
settlement and safety
departments, Enoch Mgijima
Local Municipality councillor
Mncedisi Mbengo said.
The building, which was once
an economic hub for crafters from
Chris Hani rural communities to
put bread on the table, has
become a place for the homeless.
A few days before the fire, Th e
Rep reporter took a tour
with Mbengo and found a
homeless youth sitting near a
dying fire inside the building.
Heaps of ash from fires were
strewn through most parts of the
building.
Mbengo said the wooden
building could burn down.
The building has been
stripped bare of power cables,
taps, carpets, metal, ceiling
boards, windows and doors.
Sinks, toilets and doors have
been r e m ove d .
According to Mbengo, the art
gallery has collapsed under the
watch of more than 30 security
guards who are employed by
EMLM with monthly salaries.
He said when the homeless
youth had started to break into
the building, he had reported it to
the municipal human settlements
office.
“This is where I saw how
useless the safety department was
- the security guards, and the
person who manages them, if
there is such a person. This is
because the building was
destroyed under their watch.
“We have more than 30
security guards and about 50
working contractors were added
to ensure our buildings are safe.”
But Mbengo said the security
guards were nowhere to be seen,
but were quite familiar with
the municipality’s pay roll.
“The director of community
service is in charge of the safety
department. She must answer for
what it means to pay people who
are not doing their jobs while the
municipal building is collapsing.”
The councillor said he also
blamed himself because the
building was used resourcefully
by the department of arts and
culture as a craft hub.
“I made a proposal to the
former mayor, Sisisi Tolashe, for
the art gallery to be used as a
proof of residential address
offices. This is because the town
hall building, which we consider
as the parliament of Komani, had
no sense of dignity. It was always
crammed and over-crowded with
people queuing for proof of
residence certificates,” he said.
“When the craft hub
employees left the art gallery, it
was renovated and they were
content with the Expanded Public
Works Programme [EPWP] and
the proof of residential address
office operating in the same office
space.
“We were surprised when
EPWP employees were evicted
and we were told the ANC was
going to use the building.
“We were dumbfounded
about how a municipal building
could change into a political
party office. This is where we
found out that the EPWP office
had moved back to the human
settlement offices.”
The council wanted to find
out where the decision had come
from. He added that the bigger
idea was for the building to be
used as the office of the mayor or
municipal manager.
He said Chris Hani District
Municipality had also wanted to
lease the building.
“Everyone who wants to
relieve themselves in Komani
heads for the building.
“We are failing in our
leadership as Enoch Mgijima
Municipality. There is no story to
tell our children because this is
a historical building.”
Sean Russell, who recently
mowed the lawn at the building
said: “The municipality could
have rented that property for at
least R30k a month to a business.
They could have created a little
business hub there for aspiring
businesses, small restaurants or
small shops and flea markets in
that beautiful garden.”
ANC regional secretary
Lusanda Sizani said: “There is no
such [thing], those are lies there is
no such [sic].”
EMLM spokesperson
Lonwabo Kowa said fire fighters
were able to extinguish the fire.
Kowa said it was believed that
street children who had gained
access to the building were
responsible for the fire.
He said due to a lack of
funding, the municipality did not
have enough security guards to
protect its buildings.
When I was contemplating the PR column for
this #Womensmonth, the first thing that came
to mind was to focus on the challenges
women experience in the PR profession.
However, when I thought about women
I’ve come across over the last 20 years – some
underdogs who have excelled in the PR space
– I decided to recognise them instead.
I am a proud product of KwaKomani High
School and Queenstown Girls’ High – a small
town girl who was able to achieve the goal of
becoming a MD in a PR firm before the age of
40.
One of my mentors, Peta Heidenreich,
contributed immensely to my career
a ch i e ve m e n t s .
I met Peta early on in my career – she was
a co-partner at Frank Heidenreich Consultant
(FHC) – a PR agency I worked for which
focused on providing communication
services to IT clients.
This PR giant taught me the basics of
writing a great story just two years after I had
finished my diploma.
In spite of all her responsibilities as the
MD in the company, she was patient enough
to take the time out of her busy schedule to
mentor me, and for that I’m eternally grateful.
In my three years of working at FHC, I was
always in awe of how great Peta was in PR
and in business as a whole and it was evident
at client presentations that I was not the only
one.
She always left clients amazed by the
exceptional PR ideas she came up with to
assist them to overcome their business
ch a l l e n g e s .
As my career progressed, I started meeting
other amazing PR professionals who included
Hulisani Rasivhaga, who is originally from
Ve n d a .
We did our national diploma in PR
together at the now Durban University of
Technology (DUT) and then again, we were
coincidentally in the same class when we did
our B-Tech degree at the University of
Johannesburg (UJ) once we had both started
working in Joburg.
Our paths passed again when I replaced
her at Absa Gauteng’s regional office as a
communications manager when she moved
to Absa’s communications department at the
national head office.
I’ve watched her progress and flourish in
corporate PR over the years, and I’ve always
been impressed by her work ethic and
dedication.
While at Absa, I also met another PR
trailblazer, Thembakazi Skenqa, who at the
time was the communications manager at
Absa’s Limpopo regional office.
She is originally from Mdantsane in the
Eastern Cape and has, over the years,
managed to achieve so much in the PR space
that she progressed to the position of vice
president of PR for Absa Africa.
While I was the PR manager for MTN
sponsorships, I met Helga Klizanie, the owner
of Khanya PR. She is undoubtedly one of the
PR gurus in the art of sponsorship space.
Empower ment
Zone
Miranda Lusiba
Recently, when I was the MD of the
GrindPR (TGPR) – a sponsorship and
corporate PR agency, I met Bontle Tsikwe,
another small-town lady from Taung in the
Northern Cape. She was referred to me by
Hulisani and I was immediately impressed by
her credentials and personality.
I then decided to hire her as my second in
charge in 2018.
During my tenure at TGPR, which ended
in November 2019, she more than impressed
me with her amazing attitude and her drive to
excel in everything she did.
When I left, she was able to take over my
role and has been doing an amazing job
since.
Over the years, I’ve also met some young
women with whom I worked and mentored
because I was so impressed with their attitude
towards their work.
I’m now very proud of the kind of PR
professionals they have become. They include
Rositta Mbanze, Tumi Tawana and Nombuso
Ku n e n e .
What these young women, and my fellow
old-school PR professionals have in common
their impeccable work ethic and proven
records of excellence.
It is important to note though that we were
all lucky enough to have met people who
were willing to mentor us into the kind of
professionals we are today.
This is what I wish for every young,
aspirant PR professional out there.
Contact me on: 068-029-8760 (voice
calls), 078-675-1297 (WhatsApp) or
miranda@strangeconsulting. co.za or
O ra 4 1 1 7 @ g m a i l . c o m .
Miranda Lusiba is the founding director of
Strangé Consulting – a boutique PR agency
specialising in communications, freelance
writing, media relations and training and
reputation management.