In observance of National Women's Month in South Africa, the vital role women play in shaping the country's business, communities, and economy is being celebrated. Women demonstrate resilience, creativity, and determination, leading initiatives from boardrooms to classrooms, while also pioneering new industries and nurturing the next generation.
Amazon believes that building a truly customer-centric company starts with fostering a work environment where everyone can thrive, including providing significant opportunities for women at all levels. In South Africa, the company is proud that women are at the forefront of its operations, driving innovation, serving customers, and helping shape the future of the country's rapidly growing e-commerce industry.
Amazon invests in its employees long-term by offering competitive benefits, flexible working hours, mentorship and development programs, as well as career paths into technical and leadership roles. The company acknowledges the progress made while recognizing the need for continued effort.
This article features six female leaders who are overcoming barriers, challenging established norms, and inspiring the next generation of women in business.
Working in a fast-changing technological environment has taught Lamees Vania how to be comfortable with uncertainty, pivot quickly, and balance business growth with regulatory compliance in a dynamic setting.
Lamees serves as the Head of Legal and a member of the Amazon South Africa Board of Directors. She independently built the internal legal function for Amazon Stores in the country, establishing the team, processes, and department from scratch. As a woman who spent most of her career in male-dominated fields, she never shied away from her identity. Her success is rooted in curiosity, deep knowledge of her expertise, commitment to data-backed convictions, and building a network of colleagues on whom she could rely for knowledge expansion and confidence.
Her advice to young women considering legal or consulting roles in tech is simple: be confident, be flexible, and never stop learning. Her legal mindset and logical reasoning are exactly what technology companies need.
Chrysanthe Georgiou contributed to the creation of the Amazon store for South Africa. She leads the Amazon product team in South Africa with one goal: to create a store that South Africans genuinely love and trust. Together with her team, she focuses on simplifying and enhancing the reliability of every stage of the customer journey—from product search and discovery to delivery and returns.
Her leadership qualities were shaped by personal experience: losing her mother at an early age taught her resilience, while watching her father build his own business instilled in her the value of hard work and the courage to lead amid uncertainty. This mindset guided her career, leading to leadership roles in New York and London, and obtaining an MBA from Oxford broadened her horizons and reinforced the value of continuous learning, curiosity, and inclusivity.
She always planned to return home and make a significant impact in South Africa. Today, she is inspired by creating the Amazon store for South African customers. For women entering the tech field, her philosophy is straightforward: never stop learning, back up your intuitive assumptions with data, and consistently achieve results that build trust, as this opens doors. Furthermore, it is important to remember that careers develop like trees, not ladders—the most significant growth often happens along unexpected side branches. Always surround yourself with people who challenge and support you, and do the same for others.
Phile Mabolloane's portfolio includes food, home goods, cosmetics, health and hygiene products.
Phile manages Amazon's consumer goods business in South Africa. She describes this role as a privilege and a responsibility, as the products in her portfolio—food, home goods, cosmetics, health and personal hygiene items, and household appliances—are integral parts of customers' daily lives.
Her leadership was deeply shaped by her parents: her mother taught her resilience, discipline, and the value of hard work, while her father's kindness instilled in her the importance of compassionate management and treating people with dignity. Relying on her faith, she works with high energy and high standards, never forgetting the people behind the results.
Her message to young women starting their careers is bold and uncompromising: do it, even if you are afraid. Don't wait until you feel ready. Confidence is built after seizing the opportunity. Build authority through excellent work, voice your ambitions, and don't just aim to take a seat at the table—prepare to influence what happens there, and eventually build new tables.
Suzelle Abe helps local businesses start, grow, and thrive on Amazon.
As the head of Amazon's marketplace business in South Africa, Suzelle spends her days at the intersection of strategy, team leadership, and seller success. She works to help local businesses get started, grow, and flourish on Amazon. What drives her most is the opportunity to shape the future of e-commerce in the country, knowing that every entrepreneur joining the marketplace can reach more customers, create jobs, and build something meaningful.
Throughout her career, she has learned that great leadership isn't about having all the answers; it's about building strong teams, empowering people, and creating space for their growth and innovation. Her advice to young South African women aspiring to be leaders in tech or e-commerce is simple but powerful: don't wait until you feel ready. Be curious, keep learning, and embrace opportunities that stretch you, because confidence is built through experience, not before it.
Roveena Naidoo believes that people thrive when they understand where they fit in and what is expected of them.
Roveena Naidoo is the HR Country Lead for Amazon Stores in South Africa. The core principle of her work is simple: ensuring that people can perform their jobs at their best and want to continue doing so. She believes that culture in a high-growth environment must be intentional. People thrive when they know their place and expectations, and managers have the greatest impact on how they perceive the company. Regarding the development of female leaders, she states plainly: notice high-potential women early, give them challenging assignments and sponsorship, not just mentorship. When women see other female leaders and a path that aligns with their reality, they stay.
Her advice to young professionals is equally uncompromising: manage your growth. Seek critical feedback, take ownership of problems that aren't strictly yours, and become someone pleasant to work with. The most influential people are not the most talented, but the most curious, resilient, and trustworthy.
Emily Topielski has held leadership positions in the US, Singapore, and South Africa.
Emily leads payments for Amazon South Africa, ensuring convenient and secure payment for customers and removing obstacles that prevent first-time online buyers from completing a transaction. With experience in leadership roles across the US, Singapore, and South Africa—in operations, product management, and business development—she has learned to be rigorous about data, stay close to the customer, and adapt quickly to uncertainty. Since much of what Amazon creates here lacks a pre-set plan, she finds this the most interesting part of the job.
Her advice to women looking to build careers spanning different geographies and functions is: advocate for yourself before anyone else; know that lateral moves can take you further than direct lines; and remember that your job is your personal brand. Continuously build your reputation, and it will accumulate into opportunities you haven't even considered.
Curiosity, a drive to learn, resilience, confidence, and self-assurance, underpinned by deep data analysis, have been the golden threads that have helped our female leaders succeed in business. You can do it too. Step out and be brave.
The SSRRT Women's Forum invites you to the annual celebration of International Women's Day, which will take place at the Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, August 8th, and will run from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The main event will be a presentation by key speaker Nirvashni Naidu, who is an author, poet, and motivational speaker from South Africa.
Organizers reported that Naidu's speech will focus on themes of hope, healing, and resilience, drawing upon her personal life experiences. Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in a painting workshop.
Furthermore, as part of the celebration, the 'Conscious Cuisine' initiative will be launched—a sattvic culinary collection intended to recognize the contribution of the temple's chefs. The ticket price is 180 rand per person and includes all materials for the art sessions and prasad.
This event is open to everyone who wishes to celebrate International Women's Day through inspiration, creativity, and community engagement.
In South Africa, women are showing increasing financial autonomy, which is reflected in significant progress in the ownership of both housing and vehicles. In August, recognized as Women's Month, new data reveals a noticeable transformation in ownership dynamics.
These changes highlight a new level of dominance in real estate investments, which were previously predominantly held by men, according to Hayley Irvine-Downs from Lightstone Property. She noted a steady shift in ownership patterns as more South African women acquire property, indicating their growing financial confidence and belief in real estate as a long-term investment.
The historically male-dominated real estate sector is undergoing a paradigm shift. According to the latest reports, women now surpass men in the housing market. The share of homes owned by women as sole buyers has sharply increased from 30% in 2014 to an impressive 39% by 2025. Meanwhile, the share of joint ownership by couples has decreased from 39% to 30%.
It is important to note that 'female sole buyers' are defined as women who are the sole registered owners of the property, regardless of their marital or partnership status. The overall trend of rising ownership has far-reaching implications: properties owned exclusively by women or jointly with men account for a substantial 69% of total ownership, while male ownership remains stable at 31%.
Lightstone's analysis showed that out of approximately 200,000 residential property transactions made by individuals over the past year, 140,000 involved sole buyers, of which 75,000 were female sole buyers. Furthermore, about 60,000 transactions were joint purchases where women collaborated with male buyers.
The rise in female buyers is notable, especially between July 2024 and June 2025, largely driven by a surge in low-cost property transfers. This shift is also visible in the price ranges of affordable housing, where female sole buyers significantly outperform their male counterparts, particularly in categories below R250,000, from R250,000 to R500,000, from R500,000 to R750,000, and from R750,000 to R1 million.
Government housing support programs also play a significant role in this trend: 26% of transfers to women as exclusive owners are subsidized, compared to 21% for male sole buyers and 17% for male/female joint purchases. When these subsidized properties are excluded from the analysis, it becomes clear that female buyers prefer secure living conditions: 12% chose Estate Freehold, 4% preferred Estate Sectional Schemes, and a significant 37% opted for Sectional Scheme properties.
Over 47% of female sole buyers entered the Freehold market. Financially, female buyers generally spend less on average than men: women pay nearly R2.2 million for Estate Freehold properties and just over R1.5 million for Estate Sectional Scheme properties, excluding subsidies. Moreover, female buyers show a clear trend toward ownership with age: at age 30, women constituted 50% of buyers, and by age 74, this figure rises to 73%, indicating a preference for sectional titles.
Entrepreneurs Lindiwe Nkunna-Kgopa and Pretty Kubayane were recognized as winners of the Bold Woman Award and Bold Future Award for 2026. These awards honor women whose work is transforming industries and creating opportunities for others.
The Bold Woman Award, which is currently celebrating its 54th year globally, is presented by the Veuve Clicquot Foundation. It honors visionary women who, following the spirit of Madame Clicquot, are guided by courage, innovation, and a drive to empower others. This award was established in 1972 for the 200th anniversary of the House and has since become a global recognition for women from 27 countries shaping the future of business.
For Lindiwe Nkunna-Kgopa, founder of Lindiwe Sanitary Pads, boldness has always meant supporting herself. What started in a home kitchen has grown into the first large-scale sanitary pad factory in Africa, entirely owned and operated by women. Today, the factory in Centurion produces hundreds of pads every minute, employs women from previously underserved communities, and has expanded to 11 African countries through partnerships that enable women entrepreneurs to launch their own brands. Beyond production, the company helps combat menstrual poverty by providing thousands of schoolchildren with free hygiene products and proving that women can lead and own businesses in traditionally male-dominated industries.
Tech entrepreneur Pretty Kubayane is changing the future of agriculture through innovation. As co-founder and CTO of the eFama App, she created a digital platform connecting over 40,000 farmers and buyers across South Africa. She uses data and artificial intelligence to help farmers make more informed decisions about production and improve market access.
Despite doubts about her ability to lead a tech company without a formal engineering degree, Kubayane invested in mastering software development, cloud architecture, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. Today, her work has attracted support from global organizations and positions eFama as one of the most promising agritech platforms in Africa.
Although their ventures operate in completely different sectors, both women share a common thread: they have challenged established norms, built businesses with a purpose, and paved the way for the success of others. Having been in South Africa for five years, the Bold Woman Awards continue to highlight entrepreneurs who redefine leadership through resilience, innovation, and community impact. This year's winners serve as a reminder that the future of African entrepreneurship is being shaped by women who create not just successful businesses, but also a lasting legacy.
