“I want to be part of the narrative and be a catalyst for transformation in our economy.
“Our society still embraces patriarchy and women are seen as home-makers and not as business leaders. It is all very well when women run their micro entities and spaza shops out there but once you start playing with the ‘big boys’ as I would like to say, it becomes an uphill battle to survive.
Businesspeople prefer working with people like them, these are ‘unwritten rules’ that we face daily as women business leaders – being black makes the situation even harder, not because we are unable to deliver, but business structures just don’t allow for women to thrive.
“As much as we are thankful that doors have been opened as compared to our painful historical past, now we do get business, we don’t want to be defined as just ‘black business’ and embrace tokenism, we want to be defined as South African businesses that have earned their strides, locally, in the African continent and globally. We are definitely aiming big.
“Having a leadership style is very subjective. I see myself as having a vision, having the drive, able to see what others don’t see, accepting all the decisions I have made whatever the outcome and able to see that decision through. I see myself as a driven woman, if I believe in something, I push for it. I do my best to find those people that will deliver on my vision. I must be honest and say that I do get challenged when my team doesn’t see my vision” – Lindani Dhlamini, CEO at SekelaXabisa Auditing and Business Advisory Firm.
