“We gotta make sure we accept reality and tick the box as black women in leadership because there’s a perception that black women don’t have to be anything…you just gotta be black. I like ticking the boxes, I dont like favours.”
This was one of the best leadership advices the all-woman audience could ever receive from the unapologetic Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng as she spoke about the perils of “having an obsession with fringe benefits and money”, as well as the pervasive stereotyping of black academics.
The former University of Cape Town (UCT) vice-chancellor was a keynote speaker at the WomenCan: A Night of Mystery, a Woman’s Month celebration held in Edenvale, Johannesburg on Saturday (August 31).
Proud of her academic pursuits and being a sought-after B1 NRF-rated scientist, she added: “White men who grew up with a golden spoons in their mouths still can’t get it. Some of them retire without it, but I got it.”
Phakeng’s unwavering dedication to nurturing the next generation of female leaders came to play as she emphasised the importance of being intentional on their road to success; she herself was ”deliberate in choosing not to drink alcohol, not doing ‘mojolo’ (dating at work) and having an obsession with fringe benefits and money’.
Never one to shy away from speaking out against injustices outside and within academia and the education system as a whole in South Africa, she also told the audience – those pursuing leadership roles – to never be caught off guard on obvious thing “because once you get in a leadership position, know that the knives are out'”. She added: “There’ll be people actively working to prove that you’re not capable. And I’ve had a lot of that.”
Prof Phakeng also talked about one of her recent achievements; taking on Africa’s tallest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro 12 months ago to support the Caring For Girls initiative “to help alleviate the challenge of period poverty,” which saw her raise a whopping R100,000. “This is one but of many examples of how I proved that indeed ‘women can’.
Hosted By WomenCan, an innovative women empowerment platform focusing on forging deep connections with highly-driven like-minded women, the Night of Mystery is designed to enable women forge deep connections among each other, providing a space for them to share their diverse and impactful stories across different fields.
The night is aimed at fostering growth, transformation and the development of more influential and inspirational female leaders. A number of South Africa’s female business trailblazers were celebrated on the night, among Duma Collective founder Sibu Mabena, Marcia Mayaba, the first woman to head a JSE-listed motor group Isuzu Motors among others, Tees Catering founder Thembeka Sibanyoni and WomenCan founder Tumi Mthembu.
