University of Cape Town (UCT) chancellor Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe and alumnus Nomzamo Mbatha have been honoured by Facebook Africa; an eBook which features their inspiring work has been published.
The eBook, which features Moloi-Motsepe, Mbatha and 11 other influential women in South Africa, is titled Inspiring #Changemakers: Lessons from Life and Business.
It has 13 chapters, a chapter dedicated to each woman on their challenges and success stories.
Of great interest is the story of Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe who had to put in long hours and endure a lot of difficulties during her student life in the apartheid era.
“Having to wake up at 02:00 so that she could study in her boarding school bathroom, being one of only 12 black students among 250 students in her year, and having to train in hospitals where, as a black student, she was not allowed to work with white patients,” were some of her experiences recounted on UCT news.
Moloi-Motsepe’s poor background did not, however, stop her from helping other disadvantaged students.
“Despite a shortage of money, Moloi-Motsepe began giving back what she could to her university’s bursary fund to help others in similar situations. Ubuntu has been a part of her journey – this has included her and her husband, Patrice Motsepe, establishing bursaries at all 26 public universities in South Africa,” UCT news said.
Dr Moloi-Motsepe is not just a doctor but also a philanthropist and fashion entrepreneur. She is the founder of African Fashion International and co-founder of Motsepe Foundation. Her switch from medicine to fashion and philanthropy was driven by her desire to learn.
“I’m always keen to learn more. I’d say to anyone moving into a new field: be willing to learn, be humble and be an eternal student,” she was quoted by the UCT news website.
Nomzamo Mbatha, actress and philanthropist who finally graduated in 2018 after nine years of studying at UCT, also shared how she grew up in a society (KwaMashu Township) that had a lot of social injustice and economic hardships. Her background influenced her to push harder towards greatness.
“It was a powerful reminder that you’re in control of the narrative of your own life, that you can change it if you don’t like what it says, and hopefully you can help others as you do,” Mbatha said of her journey and graduation experience to UCT news.
Mbatha opened up about her struggles with worry about paying tuition after losing her grandmother in the first year of university and the establishment of Lighthouse Foundation.
Facebook Africa has released the eBook in celebration of Women’s Month in South Africa and it is available for free online.
Phoebie Shamiso Chigonde is a journalist passionate about gender equality, social development programmes and grassroots-based solution seeking initiatives. She has a passion for women and community development. Phoebie is also a radio personality at a regional commercial radio station, a platform that enables her to network with like-minded women, journalists and activists as she continues to document and tell the story of the ordinary woman from the lens of that very ordinary woman.