9 August 2007
University of KZN and the Graduate School of Business, Westville Campus

Months of planning culminated on 9 August when the 10th Winning in the Workplace (WIWP) event was held at the University of Kwazulu Natal (UKZN) Graduate School of Business (GSB).

The Winning in the Workplace workshop is the only social responsibility event of the BWA Durban and is entirely sponsored enabling disadvantaged schools to attend.  The workshop is presented to female Grade 12 learners and aims to provide them, - the “businesswomen of tomorrow”, with the skills necessary to make a success of their future entrance into the business world.  Learners are invited from schools within Durban and surrounding areas.

On 8 August, 11 phenomenal BWA women gathered to prepare for a day that would always be remembered by the 170 learners. A day that would enrich their knowledge of the workplace, introduce them to imperative business and life skills, allow them to explore, discover some of their talents and teach them to dream.  Pria Hassan, Paula Heath, Margaret Kruger, Nazira Osman, Nandita, Kesh, Devanna Mahlangu, Pragashnie Naidoo, Pearl Pato, Amantha Maharaj and Vani Moodley Chairperson of the BWA Durban Branch, were hard at work putting together 200 goodie bags filled with every teenage girl's dream: cosmetics, personal care products, T shirts, water bottles, juice, magazines and stationery to the brim.  During the planning phase of the project, these women had done a superb job of leading designated portfolios that were the key pillars for a successful day; from Schools Management, to Sponsorship, Speakers & Performers, Programme Management and Events Management.

And let us not forget the brave men that were roped into doing the manual labour.  Prehbu, Ruslen, Denesh, Sbu, Ashish & Amith transported all donated goods that were stored at various locations to the UKZN GSB, while others, Marcus, Pravesh and Mike helped with the décor.

The girls from various schools arrived to morning tea at the GSB, their essays completed and ready to be graded by our expert panel of Markers: Professor Fikile Mazibuko, Mariam Motalla and Vaneshree Moodley.

This year's essay topic that the girls wrote on was "MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT WOMEN MAKE BETTER PARENTS THAN MEN AND THAT IS WHY THEY HAVE THE GREATER ROLE IN RAISING CHILDREN IN MOST SOCIETIES. MOST HIGH LEVEL JOBS ARE STILL DONE BY MEN. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN TODAY’S SOUTH AFRICA? WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF WOMEN IN OUR COUNTRY? SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT BE MORE FIRM WITH REGARDS TO JOBS RESERVED FOR WOMEN?”

The BWA Durban was privileged to have a programme full of high caliber businesswomen and men ready to impart their knowledge and share their successes. This in itself is considered to be a form of sponsorship from our speakers, some of whom spent most of the day with us.

The master of ceremonies was the BWA Durban’s hyper energetic Treasurer, Margaret Kruger, who kept the learners singing, dancing, and interested in every aspect of the day.  In order to set the tone for the day, Vani Moodley presented the Welcome and a brief introduction to Networking, followed by:

• John Ballam: Dealing with power relationships in the Workplace
• Margaret Makhaye: Inspirational Life Story
• Marianne Vorster: Managing my finances
• Margaret Kruger: Landing that first Job (job market: application, CV, interviews)
• Dharashan Naidu: How I overcame my sight disability and became a success in business
• Mande Toubkin: Rape Crisis
• Pria Hassan: What does it take to be an entrepreneur?
• Monica Haripershad (BWA Durban 2006/2007 Bursary Winner): The benefits of getting an tertiary Education; and skills beneficial to attaining your degree/Diploma.
• Natassia [Last year’s Sponsored Student], How did the WIWP event change my life?

Between the educational talks, the gorgeous Andrew Martin, 2007 top 100 Idols participant entertained the girls with his singing and thereafter signed autographs for the jubilant girls.  Martin and Pixie provided DJ services assisting Margaret in keeping a the girls entertained for the duration of the workshop.

Excel Training School, Infowave, ICESA and Thabile Engineering offered the learners opportunities to access careers in security training (training course was sponsored), IT (Learnership) and Electrical Engineering (Bursary pending learners acceptance to Univeristy).

Zama Mhlongo of Infowave joined us for the day, and as one of our sponsors, Infowave sponsored a HP laptop for the top essay writer.

Once our markers had completed the process; the excitement rose in those girls who had taken the time to complete a 400-word essay, each hoping that they would be the lucky one to claim the incredible prizes when the top ten Essay writers were announced. The top ten girls ranked from the winner down were:

Position Names of Girls School
1 Gugulethu Mangele Interfellowship Christian School
2 Taskeen Motala  Alpine Road Private Education Centre [division of ICESA]
3 Mariam Bibi Amod Alpine Road Private Education Centre [division of ICESA]
4 Philile Mthethwa Intshisekelo Secondary School
5 Sareshnee Naicken Sathya Sai School Chatsworth
6 Salina Yegambaram Arena Park Secondary School
7 Mandisa Mfeka  Queensburgh Girls High School
8 Tasneem Kajee  Centenary Secondary School
9 Sumaya Hendricks Orient Islamic School
10 Nolundi Ngwilikana Mason Lincoln Special

In recognising our Sponsors for the day, we must begin with the BWA businesswomen who stepped up to the mark and generously sponsored or arranged sponsorship for this event:

• Zama Phakhati (for arranging the venue, tables & chairs from UKZN)
• Zama Mhlongo (Infowave)
• Desiree Naidoo (Nedbank)
• Pria Hassan (Women of Africa)
• Lilian Kisten (Cell C)
• Ruth Grantham (Unilever)
• Yegas Naidoo (WoodStreet Furniture Manufacturers)
• Gugu Kheswa (PMG Events)
• Margaret Kruger (Marisk & Excel Training School)
• Shiraz Khan (Shiraz Khan Optometrists)
• Amantha Maharaj (Thabile Engineering)
• Paula Oosthuizen

Other key Sponsors who the day could not have been held without included:

• A1 Electrical
• Associated magazines
• Automation Solutions
• Beauty Treats
• Biomatrix Solutions
• Caio Italio Westville
• Checkers Westville
• Cosmopolitan Magazine
• Dotz Incorporated ( printing of booklets )
• Dr DS Patel from Ballito Emergency Unit
• Durban South Bus
• Engen
• Ethekweni Municipality
• Excel Security Training
• Gama Classic Services
• Healthspas Guide
• Huletts
• ICESA
• iTalk Cellular
• Jhumsheed
• Johnson & Johnson
• Litespark Trading (Pty) Limited
• Logans Bookshop
• Melta Electrical [Coogan Naidoo]
• Mr Price
• Nagoya
• Nails by Sami
• Nedbank
• Opportunity Finance (Pty) Ltd
• Pick 'n Pay Pinetown
• PriceWaterhouseCoopers
• Primedia Lifestyle (Pty) Ltd
• Roger Kent [UK]
• Regional Marketing KZN
• Satish Brijlal from HBR Attorneys
• Sure Voyager Travel
• The Workshop
• UKZN
• Unilever
• Unique Look Hair Salon
• Upper Cafeteria
• Westmead Logistics CC
• Wriggleys

Winning in the Workplace has proven itself a recipe for success and with the increased generosity of our sponsors we have grown in the number of attendees for this workshop, and have been able to extend our reach to areas beyond the greater Durban Area.

This Fantastic Initiative provides an opportunity for leading businesswomen to give of themselves and / or their businesses, and in so doing contribute to the success of a young girl's future in the working world.

Front: Tasneem Kajee (Centenary Secondary School), Sumaya Hendriks (Orient Islamic School) & Tasneem Motala (ICESA Matric)
Back: Mariam Motala (Marker), Prof. Ntombfikile Mazibuko (Marker & UKZN), Gugulethu Mangele (Interfellowship Christian School - Winner Top 10), Nolundi Ngwilikana (Infront of Gugu - Mason Lincoln), Mandisa Mfeka (Queensburgh Girls High School), Sareshnee Naicken (Sathya Sai School of Chatsworth), Salina Yegambaram (Arena Park Shool), Philile Mthethwa (Intshisekelo School), Mariam Amod (ICESA Matric) and Vaneshri Moodley (Marker)



The Girls arriving to morning tea



Winning in the Workplace 2007

9 August 2007
University of KZN and the Graduate School of Business, Westville Campus

Months of planning culminated on 9 August when the 10th Winning in the Workplace (WIWP) event was held at the University of Kwazulu Natal (UKZN) Graduate School of Business (GSB).

The Winning in the Workplace workshop is the only social responsibility event of the BWA Durban and is entirely sponsored enabling disadvantaged schools to attend.  The workshop is presented to female Grade 12 learners and aims to provide them, - the “businesswomen of tomorrow”, with the skills necessary to make a success of their future entrance into the business world.  Learners are invited from schools within Durban and surrounding areas.

On 8 August, 11 phenomenal BWA women gathered to prepare for a day that would always be remembered by the 170 learners. A day that would enrich their knowledge of the workplace, introduce them to imperative business and life skills, allow them to explore, discover some of their talents and teach them to dream.  Pria Hassan, Paula Heath, Margaret Kruger, Nazira Osman, Nandita, Kesh, Devanna Mahlangu, Pragashnie Naidoo, Pearl Pato, Amantha Maharaj and Vani Moodley Chairperson of the BWA Durban Branch, were hard at work putting together 200 goodie bags filled with every teenage girl's dream: cosmetics, personal care products, T shirts, water bottles, juice, magazines and stationery to the brim.  During the planning phase of the project, these women had done a superb job of leading designated portfolios that were the key pillars for a successful day; from Schools Management, to Sponsorship, Speakers & Performers, Programme Management and Events Management.

And let us not forget the brave men that were roped into doing the manual labour.  Prehbu, Ruslen, Denesh, Sbu, Ashish & Amith transported all donated goods that were stored at various locations to the UKZN GSB, while others, Marcus, Pravesh and Mike helped with the décor.

The girls from various schools arrived to morning tea at the GSB, their essays completed and ready to be graded by our expert panel of Markers: Professor Fikile Mazibuko, Mariam Motalla and Vaneshree Moodley.

This year's essay topic that the girls wrote on was "MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT WOMEN MAKE BETTER PARENTS THAN MEN AND THAT IS WHY THEY HAVE THE GREATER ROLE IN RAISING CHILDREN IN MOST SOCIETIES. MOST HIGH LEVEL JOBS ARE STILL DONE BY MEN. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN TODAY’S SOUTH AFRICA? WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF WOMEN IN OUR COUNTRY? SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT BE MORE FIRM WITH REGARDS TO JOBS RESERVED FOR WOMEN?”

The BWA Durban was privileged to have a programme full of high caliber businesswomen and men ready to impart their knowledge and share their successes. This in itself is considered to be a form of sponsorship from our speakers, some of whom spent most of the day with us.

The master of ceremonies was the BWA Durban’s hyper energetic Treasurer, Margaret Kruger, who kept the learners singing, dancing, and interested in every aspect of the day.  In order to set the tone for the day, Vani Moodley presented the Welcome and a brief introduction to Networking, followed by:

• John Ballam: Dealing with power relationships in the Workplace
• Margaret Makhaye: Inspirational Life Story
• Marianne Vorster: Managing my finances
• Margaret Kruger: Landing that first Job (job market: application, CV, interviews)
• Dharashan Naidu: How I overcame my sight disability and became a success in business
• Mande Toubkin: Rape Crisis
• Pria Hassan: What does it take to be an entrepreneur?
• Monica Haripershad (BWA Durban 2006/2007 Bursary Winner): The benefits of getting an tertiary Education; and skills beneficial to attaining your degree/Diploma.
• Natassia [Last year’s Sponsored Student], How did the WIWP event change my life?

Between the educational talks, the gorgeous Andrew Martin, 2007 top 100 Idols participant entertained the girls with his singing and thereafter signed autographs for the jubilant girls.  Martin and Pixie provided DJ services assisting Margaret in keeping a the girls entertained for the duration of the workshop.

Excel Training School, Infowave, ICESA and Thabile Engineering offered the learners opportunities to access careers in security training (training course was sponsored), IT (Learnership) and Electrical Engineering (Bursary pending learners acceptance to Univeristy).

Zama Mhlongo of Infowave joined us for the day, and as one of our sponsors, Infowave sponsored a HP laptop for the top essay writer.

Once our markers had completed the process; the excitement rose in those girls who had taken the time to complete a 400-word essay, each hoping that they would be the lucky one to claim the incredible prizes when the top ten Essay writers were announced. The top ten girls ranked from the winner down were:

Position Names of Girls School
1 Gugulethu Mangele Interfellowship Christian School
2 Taskeen Motala  Alpine Road Private Education Centre [division of ICESA]
3 Mariam Bibi Amod Alpine Road Private Education Centre [division of ICESA]
4 Philile Mthethwa Intshisekelo Secondary School
5 Sareshnee Naicken Sathya Sai School Chatsworth
6 Salina Yegambaram Arena Park Secondary School
7 Mandisa Mfeka  Queensburgh Girls High School
8 Tasneem Kajee  Centenary Secondary School
9 Sumaya Hendricks Orient Islamic School
10 Nolundi Ngwilikana Mason Lincoln Special

In recognising our Sponsors for the day, we must begin with the BWA businesswomen who stepped up to the mark and generously sponsored or arranged sponsorship for this event:

• Zama Phakhati (for arranging the venue, tables & chairs from UKZN)
• Zama Mhlongo (Infowave)
• Desiree Naidoo (Nedbank)
• Pria Hassan (Women of Africa)
• Lilian Kisten (Cell C)
• Ruth Grantham (Unilever)
• Yegas Naidoo (WoodStreet Furniture Manufacturers)
• Gugu Kheswa (PMG Events)
• Margaret Kruger (Marisk & Excel Training School)
• Shiraz Khan (Shiraz Khan Optometrists)
• Amantha Maharaj (Thabile Engineering)
• Paula Oosthuizen

Other key Sponsors who the day could not have been held without included:

• A1 Electrical
• Associated magazines
• Automation Solutions
• Beauty Treats
• Biomatrix Solutions
• Caio Italio Westville
• Checkers Westville
• Cosmopolitan Magazine
• Dotz Incorporated ( printing of booklets )
• Dr DS Patel from Ballito Emergency Unit
• Durban South Bus
• Engen
• Ethekweni Municipality
• Excel Security Training
• Gama Classic Services
• Healthspas Guide
• Huletts
• ICESA
• iTalk Cellular
• Jhumsheed
• Johnson & Johnson
• Litespark Trading (Pty) Limited
• Logans Bookshop
• Melta Electrical [Coogan Naidoo]
• Mr Price
• Nagoya
• Nails by Sami
• Nedbank
• Opportunity Finance (Pty) Ltd
• Pick 'n Pay Pinetown
• PriceWaterhouseCoopers
• Primedia Lifestyle (Pty) Ltd
• Roger Kent [UK]
• Regional Marketing KZN
• Satish Brijlal from HBR Attorneys
• Sure Voyager Travel
• The Workshop
• UKZN
• Unilever
• Unique Look Hair Salon
• Upper Cafeteria
• Westmead Logistics CC
• Wriggleys

Winning in the Workplace has proven itself a recipe for success and with the increased generosity of our sponsors we have grown in the number of attendees for this workshop, and have been able to extend our reach to areas beyond the greater Durban Area.

This Fantastic Initiative provides an opportunity for leading businesswomen to give of themselves and / or their businesses, and in so doing contribute to the success of a young girl's future in the working world.

Front: Tasneem Kajee (Centenary Secondary School), Sumaya Hendriks (Orient Islamic School) & Tasneem Motala (ICESA Matric)
Back: Mariam Motala (Marker), Prof. Ntombfikile Mazibuko (Marker & UKZN), Gugulethu Mangele (Interfellowship Christian School - Winner Top 10), Nolundi Ngwilikana (Infront of Gugu - Mason Lincoln), Mandisa Mfeka (Queensburgh Girls High School), Sareshnee Naicken (Sathya Sai School of Chatsworth), Salina Yegambaram (Arena Park Shool), Philile Mthethwa (Intshisekelo School), Mariam Amod (ICESA Matric) and Vaneshri Moodley (Marker)



The Girls arriving to morning tea



Winning in the Workplace 2007