WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP BY KOKETSO MAMABOLO
Hon. Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has a seat at the table H
onourable Khumbudzo Ntshavheni was always going to be a leader, it was just a question of which sector she would lend her passion and drive to. As it turns out, the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies has seen her career rise in both the public and private sectors, where she has been a stellar example to young women looking to make inroads as entrepreneurs and civil servants. Born in Sibasa, in what was then the Transvaal province, just over a year after the student uprisings of 1976, the young Minister has received a lot of attention for being one of the youngest members in the executive. Something she recognises, and is willing to leverage to the benefit of other young people, particularly young women. “What Khumbudzo being a minister at a young age and being a female does, is it inspires all the other young people who are female to aspire that it is possible to be in there (sic),” said the Minister, speaking to ITU News. She is aware of how much influence she can have on empowering women and furthering the development goals which seek to bring more women into the economy. The opportunities need to be made available because the capabilities are already there: “If you can cook the supper, you can sit at the table, and you can decide what cutlery you use on that table. For me, that’s what we are here for: to make sure that we create a table for women to sit at.”
22 | Public Sector Leaders | June 2022
