National Women's Month: Celebrating South African women

August is National Women's Month, and we are celebrating what South African women have achieved in business. Some have overcome poverty and all have risen above seemingly insurmountable challenges. The skills and resilience of South African women are showcased in the stories of Ntsiki Biyela, Sarah Collins, Vanessa Gounden and Wendy Luhabe. These ladies have proved that no obstacle can stand in the way of a determined woman.

Ntsiki Biyela - from domestic worker to winemaker

Ntsiki Biyela's formative years were spent in a rural village in KwaZulu-Natal, and after matriculating, she got a job as a domestic worker. A year later, she won a scholarship to study winemaking and has gone on to become our country's first black female winemaker. In 2016, she founded Aslina Wines, which are now distributed around the world. While we're on the topic of strong women, Biyela's company is named Aslina in honour of her grandmother, who she describes as being a guiding light in her life. Biyela has a long string of awards to her name. Most recently, she received the Diversity and Transformation Award at the 2021 Wine Harvest Commemorative Event, and what we love most about her is that she's passing her knowledge on. Through her work with the Pinotage Youth Development Academy, she is helping to train the next generation of South African winemakers.

Sarah Collins - creator of a lifeline for those living without electricity

The list of awards that Sarah Collins has earned for her creation of the Wonderbag is jaw-dropping - and for good reason. She's been named one of Fortune Magazine's Top 10 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs and one of Oprah's African Heroines. She's also been the recipient of a Climate Change Leadership Award and her company was named among Time Magazine's 50 Most Genius Companies of 2018. Her product enables food to be brought to the boil via conventional means (such as a stove or fire) and then placed in the Wonderbag, where it will continue to cook for up to 12 hours. It has changed the lives of thousands of South Africans who either do not have access to electricity or are acutely aware of the cost of electricity.

Vanessa Gounden - mining magnate, fashionista and more

From mining and politics to business and fashion, Vanessa Gounden has done it all. Her childhood was shaped by the atrocities of Apartheid, with her family being forced off their rose farm and into a "non-white" township when Vanessa was 10. While the list of roles Gounden has had - from ANC foot soldier to mining magnate - is mind-blowing, her true passion is fashion.

Following the birth of a democratic South Africa in 1994, Gounden and her husband were asked to assist the Mandela administration in rebuilding South Africa. After holding various roles, such as Director of Change Management in the South African police force, Gounden partnered with her husband to open a company in the mining industry. That company, HolGoun Investment Holdings, has grown from strength to strength. More recently, she has followed her passion with the launch of her fashion label, Vanessa Gounden.

Wendy Luhabe - social entrepreneur and author

The stories of Wendy Luhabe empowering other women start back in the early 1990s when she founded a social entrepreneurship programme called Bridging the Gap. She has served as Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg and Chair of the International Marketing Council of South Africa. Arguably her most remarkable accomplishment was the formation of Women Investment Portfolio Holdings, an organisation that prides itself on providing benefits to more than 200 000 beneficiaries. Wendy is also the proud author of Defining Moments: Experiences of Black Executives in South Africa's Workplace.

South African women in business are more than movers and shakers. They are the creators of products and opportunities that make a difference to our country and our world. 3Cube Property Solutions commemorates the bravery, talent and determination shown by the mothers, sisters and daughters of South Africa.