Philisiwe Buthelezi, CEO of the National Empowerment Fund (NEF), won the corporate category. She has been with the fund for seven years and oversees a R1 billion annual budget. Prior to joining it, Buthelezi worked for a French investment bank in London; was responsible for Risk Management Control at the South African Reserve Bank and worked in the Treasury division at Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank. She has an MSc and a MBA. She is also chairperson of construction company Group Five and sits on the boards of Mvelaphanda Resources and Sanlam. While employed by the dti, she headed up the Black Economic Empowerment unit, which played a major role in developing the government's Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment strategy, BBBEE legislation and codes of good conduct.
Dr Nondumiso Mzizana, as CEO of Sikelela Medical, Dental and Pharmaceuticals, won the entrepreneur category. She founded the company after experiencing the shortage of medical equipment while working in rural areas in the Eastern Cape. Starting out with just two sales representatives, her company now has a staff complement of 25, has moved from rented to owned premises and services public and private sector clients in southern, central and north Africa.
Its pharmaceutical arm has a manufacturing and a wholesale license. The medical and dental divisions play a major role in providing equipment to hospitals in various parts of South Africa. Under her watchful eye, the company lives its motto of 'job creation, job satisfaction and people empowerment'.
"The role of women across the economy is growing in leaps and bounds, not only in the corporate sector, but also in the vital entrepreneurial space which is so critical for job creation in our country where unemployment is such as massive issue," said BWA president, Kunyalala Maphisa.
