Durban — Ithala Soc Ltd selected 11 women for the International Women’s Forum of South Africa (IWFSA), Finance and Accounting Sector Services Education and Training Authority (FASSET) women’s legacy programme (IFWLP) in celebration of Women’s Month.
The programme is in collaboration with Duke Corporate Education (Duke CE). Ithala aimed to celebrate women and increase its representation of women in leadership roles.
This programme, currently in its third phase with 481 participants, aims to empower 1 000 women in the financial sector over a three-year period (October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2025). It is a transformative initiative by FASSET facilitated by IWFSA and Duke CE.
Thabisile Zulu, one of the women chosen by Ithala for the programme, said that through this coaching she had gained a deeper understanding of her strengths and areas for improvement, while boosting her self-assurance.
Zulu added that she had been able to create actionable career plans, including strategies for advancement and navigating organisational dynamics.
Ithala CEO Dr Thulani Vilakazi said Ithala believed in gender equality and putting women in leadership roles. Vilakazi assists in making sure women are well equipped and have all the right set of skills for such roles.
“Becoming a leader encompasses more than just acquiring new skills; it requires a fundamental identity shift. While there is still a significant gap in the perception of women leaders and the qualities typically associated with them, we are determined to bridge this divide,” Vilakazi said.
South Africa has been celebrating women during the month of August for 30 years, since 1994. It is to serve as a reminder of the tough and tenacious, gracious and passionate, formidable and above all courageous women who have continued to shape our future.
Their strength was highlighted to the world in August 1956 when 20 000 marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against apartheid laws forcing black people to carry a “pass”.
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