In his letter to the nation, penned 'From the desk of the President' on Monday, 7 August, His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa focused on the achievements of South African women in the sporting arena:
“Our women’s national football team, Banyana Banyana, the reigning Women’s Africa Cup of Nations champions, has delivered some stunning performances in the Fifa Women’s World Cup taking place in Australia and New Zealand. Our women’s netball team, the Proteas, put in a strong showing at the Netball World Cup that ended in Cape Town.
“In February, we hosted the first ICC Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup to take place on African soil. Our national team made history as the first South African team to reach the final,” – President Ramaphosa. Read our article celebrating women in sport here.
Our cover icon this month is the CEO of the Water Research Commission, Dr Jennifer Molwantwa. It’s an undeniable fact that bears repeating: “Water is life.” This seems to be a simple point, but once one begins to delve deeper into the work of the Water Research Commission, it’s clear that protecting such a scarce resource is everybody’s responsibility. Under the leadership of Dr Molwantwa and chairperson, Dr Rethabile Melamu, the Water Research Commission is playing its part to address the country’s challenges through innovation in the water and sanitation sector.
In this bumper edition of Public Sector Leaders, we include regulars such as Addressing the Nation – Letter from the Presidency – and a calendar of commemorative events. In Other News, we turn our gaze to the stars: Women in space: Adriana Marais, Jessie Ndaba and Sara Sabry, a young Egyptian astronaut and founder of the Deep Space Initiative. Legal Matters looks at the all-important issue of gender diversity in the workplace and our Woman in Leadership this month focuses on Auditor General Tsakani Maluleke. Keeping with the theme of Financial Fitness, we zoom in on debt management. Our Regional Focus is the Western Cape and our Trailblazer is Khethiwe Sibanyoni.
The articles in PSL August celebrate all things related to women empowerment and we have included for your reading pleasure a women’s rights feature; we take a look at the lessons from the 1956 march; and, like President Ramaphosa, we celebrate the achievements of top South African sports women. Whether you are in the public sector, the private sector, supply chain or an interested individual, PSL has something for you. We hope you enjoy the read.
To get involved in the next edition of Public Sector Leaders, contact Emlyn Dunn: az.oc.ocpot@nnud.nylme or call 072 126 3962.
