Municipal Demarcation Board

MDB GAME-CHANGERS

Committed to deliver spatial justice

The Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) has transformed drastically over the years in terms of gender parity to currently being led by 50% of Board Members who are women. This has contributed to the good and consistent performance of the entity which is on an upward trajectory to deliver spatial justice.

MBALI PEARL MYENI

DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON

Municipal Demarcation Board – Non-executive Director & Deputy Chairperson of the Board; Moses Kotane Institute – Non-executive Director; KZN Liquor Authority – Non-executive Director and Chairperson of the Board; KZN Gambling and Betting Board – Non-executive Director and Deputy Chairperson of the Board; Business Owner of two (2) POSTNET Franchises, Howick, KwaZulu-Natal.

WHAT MOTIVATES HER AND ADVICE TO OTHER WOMEN TO SUCCEED

Born in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, Mbali Myeniis a middle child from a family of five siblings. She holds a Masters of Commerce (MCom), Master’s in Business Administration (MBA),Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree (Communication Science Major), Diploma in Project Management, Bachelor of Arts (BA) and is currently studying towards a LLB Degree.

Her extensive experience extends throughout her leadership roles in both the public and private sector and she has a combination of more than 20 years of local and provincial government experience.

She has held various positions in the administrat ive establishment of uMngeni Local Municipality from 2011until 2016 before she became a Councillor and Mayor of the same municipality serving a five-year term.

She has been appointed to various Boards gaining vast experience in Corporate Governance along the way, and she was appointed by SALGA to provide training to councillors. Myeni believes that women should believe in themselves, their hopes and their aspirations.

They should not be told by anyone that it cannot be done. Rather try and fail at it – you will learn from your mistakes. Her advice to all women is to “work hard so that you won’t have to depend on anyone for anything.” As a mother herself to three beautiful kids she advises women to set an example for their children and to inspire them, “give them an opportunity to learn and be the people that they want to be and knowledge that will allow them to be able to conquer the world.”

VIEWS ON FIGHTING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN OUR SOCIETY

Myeni believes that if you allow people to take advantage of you it will escalate to the level where you will not be in a position of control. She says that if you are experiencing domestic violence, speak out and reach out for help whilst you can. Don’t give in.

Born in Komani (formerly Queenstown), a small town in the Border region in the Eastern Cape, Namso Baliso has lived there most of her life attending boarding schools in the former Transkei area. She hails from a very close-knit family, and to this day spends as much time as possible with her siblings and elderly parents who she counts as her blessings and anchors.

Baliso holds qualifications in Town and Regional Planning and Project Management and has worked mostly in the public sector mainly in the various National Departments and in local government. As her studies were sponsored by government she intentionally stayed in the public sector after she qualified, wanting to not only show her gratitude, but wanting to be the change she wanted to see. Her vast skills cover areas of strategy, legislation and policy development; urban planning; international relations; environmental planning; administration; financial management; and project management.

NAMSO BALISO

BOARD MEMBER

WHAT MOTIVATES HER AND ADVICE TO OTHER WOMEN TO SUCCEED

Baliso is highly motivated by her parents, who like many in the history of our country, were from dire roots entrenched in poverty in the rural areas but were able to overcome, work and provide for their family. Her passion for public service is from her father who worked in various capacities in the fields of local government and housing. She inherited her love of helping people from her mother who worked as a qualified nurse. An avid traveller, her journeys to all provinces, the African continent, and overseas travels, and her experiences of different cultures, have moulded the person that she has become.

Her empowering advice to other women would be to say that they must take the leap of faith and conquer the fears that hold them back, and to dare to reach beyond their dreams. She quotes Marianne Williamson, “Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

HER VIEWS ON HOW WE CAN FIGHT GBV

GBV is institutionalised in the context of the patriarchal South African society. It is mostly seen as a female problem. For instance, when one speaks of the high levels of GBV some responses from men have tended to shift the narrative and say that men are also victims of violence. While this is true, the magnitude and scale are tipped greatly against women. In my view, men should also actively participate in gender work and make it harder for their friends, colleagues and family members to be perpetrators; to be “their brother’s keeper” so to speak.

TINTSWALO BAADJIE

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Tintswalo Baadjie is a mother of two who was born and educated in Limpopo Province. She is a certified Professional Accountant with the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) and holds a Bcom Degree and an MBA. She has over 23 years’ experience in financial management and has worked for state owned entities such as the South African Post Office, in the banking sector for Standard Bank and ABSA and in the public sector at Gauteng Provincial Treasury. She is currently the Chief Financial Officer at the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) and has been employed there for the past 5 years.

She is appreciative of the opportunities she has gained and the vast experience she has acquired despite facing challenges that most black women face in the workplace. She has been fortunate to have come across managers who have provided training, assistance and mentorship that led her to her career as an executive at the MDB where she has proven to be instrumental in improving the entity’s audit outcomes to clean audit for four (4) years in a row.

WHAT MOTIVATES HER AND ADVICE TO OTHER WOMEN TO SUCCEED

She is motivated by the young people in the workplace and finds fulfilment in mentoring and coaching them to be future accountants and assisting them reach their full potential. She believes that women need to stop waiting for men to impower them and instead take matters into their own hands and empower themselves. She says that women need to lead by example and “need to support each other as women and create an enabling environment so that young women who come after us find a better place to reach their full potential.” Baadjie says “It is only women who can break the chains of patriarchy by believing in their own capabilities, as men who believe in a patriarchal system which favours them are less inclined to want the status quo to change.”

HER VIEWS ON HOW WE CAN FIGHT GBV

Speaking on GBV she says that due to the patriarchal nature of our society, gender-based violence thrives because most women rely on their abusers for their financial well-being thereby limiting their choices. Furthermore, most awareness programmes focus on the victims and not on the perpetrators. As long as these matters are not addressed GBV will persist.

She says that “Creating an enabling environment for women where they can cater for themselves financially will give them choices and creating programmes that will focus on abusers assisting them find better ways to deal with their anger will also come a long way in minimising GBV.”

BARILENG BATHAKGILE DICHABE

SENIOR MANAGER: STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION

Barileng Bathakgile Dichabe is a seasoned communicator with extensive experience in Communication, Stakeholder Relations, Public Relations and Marketing across various sectors. Within her portfolio at the MDB Dichabe specializes in events management, project management, strategizing, content development, managing corporate social investment initiatives, amongst others.

Dichabe comes from a close-knit family in Mabopane, and is married with three children. She obtained her Master’s in Management Degree from Wits Business School in 2015.

WHAT MOTIVATES HER AND ADVICE TO OTHER WOMEN TO SUCCEED

Dichabe conveys her gratitude to her late mother Tiny Dibakoane for being her pillar of strength, for advising her to be independent at an early age, and to work hard. Her elderly father, Page Dibakoane, remains her hero for his unwavering support, his never-say-die attitude and resilience. She is grateful, that despite being poor, her parents provided a warm and loving home for the family, and her and her siblings were taught wonderful values that have helped all to thrive.

She firmly believes in the mantra ‘each one, teach one’ and is totally against the ‘pull her down syndrome’ perpetuated by most women in higher positions. On her way up the ladder she has made sure to respect everyone regardless of their levels and to uplift and motivate female colleagues whenever she engages with them.

She says, “Women go through hard times whether personally or professionally. Why can’t we support and lift each other up where possible. Why not unite for a greater cause and break the barriers that prevents us from living our best lives.”

Dichabe believes that women can adapt to change effortlessly, and lead with distinction, and that this is the kind of leadership required given the current dire situation in the country.

She says “Empowered women are shattering the proverbial glass ceiling at a rapid pace as they occupy spaces previously reserved for men like never before. Women are claiming their spaces unapologetically. We are blessed with an extra dose of resilience that drives us to move mountains. Soon we will have the first ever female President in the country, watch this space.”

HER VIEWS ON HOW WE CAN FIGHT GBV

Dichabe has the firm belief that teachings that will identify, reduce and prevent gender-based violence needs to start with boys and girls at elementary level at schools. She says that men need to step up and take a firmer and more visible stance at being stronger role models and that it should be ingrained from a young age that women have equal rights to men and must be respected. She strongly believes that tougher action taken against those who continue to abuse women and children will serve as a deterrent to this criminal behaviour. Men need to change their mindsets, move with the changing times and work with women not against them. We need each other to move the country forward.