Santam Women of the Future Awards 2024
Our Winners
The 10th annual Santam Women of the Future Awards, in association with FAIRLADY and TRUELOVE, took place on Friday, 11 October at an exclusive luncheon hosted at The Venue at the Houghton Hotel and emceed by Khutso Theledi.
The awards recognised four exceptional women who have demonstrated innovation, leadership and commitment to social change in their respective fields. Following an extensive interview and judging process, the winners were selected by a distinguished panel of judges
‘The Women of the Future Awards have capacitated women-owned businesses with skills that build their enterprises. We’re proud that in the 10 years of our sponsorship of the awards, 27 winners have been crowned in the various categories. What’s also amazing is that 90% of these businesses are still in operation, with many having gone on to receive more accolades abroad. This says a lot about the resilience of women. Even more exciting is the fact that some of these businesses have graduated to become our service providers and suppliers.’
Gugu Mtetwa, Group Chief Operating Officer at Santam.
We are proud to announce the winners:
Lilian Kistan of Tekwecomm is our 2024 Santam Woman of the Future.
Lilian made the bold decision to buy struggling telecommunications company Tekwecomm – and turned it into a success. The company provides a variety of specialised services and products. Her vision has fuelled the company’s growth and transformed it into a leading business known for customer satisfaction and responsiveness. Winning the award is the ultimate achievement for Lilian. ‘It’s a recognition of our ability to challenge ourselves and be change agents in our field,’ she says.
Candice Potgieter of The Unlimited Child is our 2024 Santam Social Entrepreneur.
Non-profit The Unlimited Child addresses early childhood development (ECD) interventions, and is the largest ECD organisation in South Africa and the fastest-growing in Africa. It aids more than 2 million children and 5 000 micro-enterprises across South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Yemen. For Candice, being awarded the Social Entrepreneur title shines a light on ECD. ‘This recognition means so much to me and my team,’ she says. ‘It validates the work we’ve put in, and motivates us to keep going in our mission to “unlimit” children’s dreams.’
Zanele Njapha of The UnLearners is our 2024 Santam Rising Star.
The former teacher turned CEO started The UnLearners, which is dedicated to guiding organisations in building a culture of learning, unlearning and relearning, making the often daunting process of change simpler, less scary and even enjoyable. For Zanele, winning the Rising Star award holds deep significance. ‘It confirms that all those difficult days, when people told me to go back to teaching and I chose to stick by my business, were worth it,’ she says.
Glynn Mashonga of Globescope is our Santam Readers’ Choice winner.
The founder and Chief Executive of Globescope is revolutionising the security industry with her bold vision, relentless drive, commitment to making communities safer and her ability to navigate the male-dominated security sector. Glynn’s mantra? ‘Never give up – persistence is the key to achieving your goals.’
Guests included businesswomen and media personalities such as Johanna Makgalemele; Judi Nwokedi, Sonia Booth Uyanda Mbuli, Catherine Constantinides; Sonia Booth; Miss Earth South Africa 2024, Jessica Nel Margo Fargo, Thuli Magubana and Nonkululelo Gobodo.
