Women Alumni Share Their Success Stories

BY: .

Click here for isiZulu version

The College of Law and Management Studies’ Women’s Month Power Connect event saw dynamic female alumni share how their UKZN journey shaped their success. The virtual event is part of the College Public Relations Office’s on-going alumni campaign aimed at creating an engaged alumni network to create awareness among prospective and current UKZN students on where their degree could lead them.

The webinar was facilitated by law graduate and award winning public speaker Ms Thembalethu Shange and comprised of the following panellists:

•    Law graduate and Top 30 Miss SA 2021 finalist Ms Tshegofatso Molefe who runs the Rising Girls Foundation which donates sanitary pads and provides mentorship to young girls.

•    Bachelor of Commerce - General (Marketing and Economics) graduate Ms Yanelisa Jokweni Gwala who runs Sakhiwesihle QY Construction, a successful 100% Black-owned construction company with a footprint in KwaZulu-Natal, North West and the Eastern Cape.

•    Bachelor of Commerce - General (Information Systems) final-year student, Ms Ntandokazi Buthelezi, who is a Digital Solutions Strategist at Asante Digital Solutions and is leading the development of an Artificial Intelligence-based Career Advisor for the youth in partnership with MTN SA.

The discussion centred on how these successful professionals and entrepreneurs used their qualifications, skills and life lessons learnt at UKZN to achieve success.

For Molefe, who hails from Kestell in the Free State, studying at UKZN was not only about acquiring her LLB degree, but was a holistic experience that exposed her to a different province, cultures and languages.

‘During my matric year I wasn’t well informed about my career choices, but I knew that Law is what I love and that my university experience was not going to happen in the Free State as my family wanted. UKZN changed the trajectory of my life, as I met people who mentored me and it is where my organisation was born. I learnt resilience and to keep going even when doors are shut in your face. I studied Law in order to become a public prosecutor which is frowned upon as most people expect me to be an attorney, but I am doing what I love and writing my own narrative while empowering women and the youth,’ she said.

Jokweni Gwala juggled her studies with working piece jobs to earn an income and start her business. She had to take a two-year break from her studies to take care of her family after the passing of her mother. Her vision is to build a legacy while ensuring that South Africa’s youth rise above unemployment.

‘My goal is to transform the next generation through entrepreneurship. My UKZN journey was tough, I was tested and challenged and failed many times. These experiences made me bold and created my tough skin which allows me to succeed in a male-dominated field. Most people believe that you don’t need education to succeed in entrepreneurship, but as a person living it, I can confidently say that I wouldn’t succeed in my entrepreneurial pursuits without the skills obtained from my qualification,’ she said.

Buthelezi said thatshe is motivated by her passion to harness the power of technology, leadership and entrepreneurship to positively and sustainably serve communities.

‘UKZN helped to shape my career in technology by giving me an opportunity to network with like-minded people through joining ENACTUS. Now, I am a youth ambassador for women in technology and assist women to identify opportunities in technology. I believe that women can do anything,’ she said.

To view this event, visit UKZN’s YouTube page here.

For more information on the College of Law and Management Studies’ alumni engagements visit its Facebook page: @ UKZN.CLMS

Words: Thandiwe Jumo

Photographs: Supplied