Women of water awash with inspiration
Mhlathuze Water’s Women’s Day Celebration was a glamorous affair.
PHOTOS: Michelle Dennis
IT was an elegant day of celebration of women and all they had achieved; from those brave women who marched in protest of having to carry their pass books, to the many women today who are aiming for and reaching impressive heights in the workplace.
Programme director, Wendy Gumede’s comment that, ‘women are the moral compass of any community’ set a positive tone at the Mhlathuze Water’s Women’s Day Celebration held at the Richards Hotel in Richards Bay where honoured guests included Her Royal Highness Nompumelelo Zulu.
A woman to be reckoned with in her own right, not content to languish on the throne, Her Royal Highness, a principal of a school in Nongoma said, in her impromptu speech, that at her school, which was run very well, there were no male employees.
This meant that it was not an unusual sight to spot Her Royal Highness on the soccer field with the boys as coach and/or referee.
On a more serious note, she asked that women and their companies ‘adopt’ a couple of the little children at any school and provide them with sandwiches in the morning as their last meal was, most times, the day before and they needed the food to be able to concentrate at school.
She concluded by telling women to come out of the ‘basement’ where they did nothing but await orders from the men; and rather get on to the balcony where they can think, appreciate their blessings and strive to become women with purpose.
More women at the helm
Keynote speaker and Chairperson of Mhlatuze Water Board, Dudu Myeni, claimed Mhlathuze Water as her second home. And, although she is proud the company has made great progress regarding transformation and giving women opportunities, she said in the water utility industry itself, there needed to be more women at the helm.
‘It is the women who fetch the water for the household and the children, therefore it should be the women who are making the water service decisions,’ Myeni said.
She emphasised the importance of education for women and said, ‘If women do well the society does better’. She said sometimes women are their own worst enemies putting a ceiling on themselves and that a change in mindset was needed in a society where women’s higher education was not deemed a necessity.
Myeni said it was important for women to discover their destinies and pursue their dreams with courage.
Interesting facts
Mhlathuze Water’s women achievements Chairperson of the Board and the first woman to chair the Mhlathuze Water Board is Dudu Myeni
50% of board members are women
60% of women in middle management
Two female engineers in training
Laboratory – 70% women
Finance – 73% women
HR – 80% women
63% of vacant positions were filled by women in the last financial year
Operations Manager, Simphiwe Zulu won Oliver Empowerment Award – Future Black Leader category
Megan Govender won Best Up-Coming Public Relations Practitioner Award
PHOTOS: Michelle Dennis
