The Women of Wonder Awards were incepted in 2015 with the vision of CEO Farzana Mayet to host awards which not only give preference to Women in Power positions but also ordinary, extraordinary women who do so much and ask for nothing in return. The WOW awards which is patented and trademarked has become an internationally accredited platform to give recognition and award extraordinary women who are making a difference in their respective fields of practice. This prestigious award brings together powerful and influential women as well as women who are striving for excellence.
A WOW recipient is a woman who is: a progressive thinker, a dynamic leader, a woman that strives to make a difference in society, a woman who makes a formidable impact on others as well as a woman who continues to inspire and empower. Women who have made their mark in their careers will be awarded and recognised on 10 April at the Oyster Box Hotel at 6.30pm.
Some of the recipients are:
Charlotte Bux
Charlotte Bux is a former teacher who started her career teaching at two disadvantaged schools. This heightened her eternal desire to uplift children and communities. She presently resides in KZN and runs an NPO, Zen Cares Foundation. She is also the KZN co-ordinator of a national NPO, Kidz 2 Kidz, which was founded by the founder of the national Santa Shoe Box. Kidz 2 Kidz supports South African communities by supplying resources and educator training to encourage literacy growth and to dispel the myth that bullying is part of childhood development. Bux loves working with children and tries to assist as much as she can at the children’s homes in Phoenix under the care of Phoenix Child Welfare. With Phoenix Child Welfare and other excellent organisations they have opened homework centres in schools which provide children with a safe place to do their homework without the threat and danger of abuse when home alone. Zen Cares Foundation helps other charity groups and runs a weekly
soup kitchen and assists disadvantaged communities and schools by trying to fulfill their requests. A special love of hers is the Thuthuzela Crisis Centre which is a centre that sees to raped and sexually abused women, men and children at a state hospital. She is also an an admin team member of a national charity The Ultimate Gift.
Nabeelah Shaikh
Breaking TV news with passion. Feisty Nabeelah Shaikh, 28, has courageously covered everything from gruesome murder cases to widespread bribery and corruption as an award-winning multi-media reporter for the past seven years. “It’s a rat race – there’s never a dull moment,” she laughed. “We’re never short of stories to tell as South Africans. Being a television reporter means you have to be on the move every day, covering breaking and other general news. It’s exciting and thrilling!”
Shaikh cut her teeth as a multi-media investigative reporter for Independent Newspapers’ Sunday Tribune from 2013 before moving to eTV as a video journalist covering all news beats in 2018. She won the Vodacom Journalist of the Year regional award in 2015 at age 23 for her story ‘Isis wants you – how we cracked the secret route’ (for which her life was threatened), and again two years later for her story ‘For sale: A place at medical school’. This secured her the reputation as a dedicated journalist who pushed boundaries with maturity, tenacity and fearlessness.
“It was quite an achievement for me, even though I do this for passion and not for recognition,” said Shaikh. “I strive for excellence by always giving my best at whatever I do. There’s no time to be mediocre.” She has been at the forefront of covering the Covid-19 pandemic.
Growing up in Tongaat as a long-awaited daughter amid three brothers to parents who always pushed her to study, she displayed an early love of writing, delivering speeches, talking at family gatherings and school events and was also passionate about current affairs and debating throughout her high school career.
Her advice to other aspiring women journalists, is: “For a long time, men have dominated newsrooms. It’s great to see that this dynamic is slowly changing. As a female reporter in the field, there are many challenges one would face. We are threatened and often harassed. But don’t let this stop you from pursuing this noble profession. Make your mark. Get your name out there. Be a voice for the voiceless. Bring about change. We tell stories that matter to unearth corruption, to hold people accountable and truly make a difference in the world.”
Since her job is so stressful, Sheikh mostly enjoys “doing nothing” in her downtime. Outspoken feminist Sheikh is married to a very supportive husband who understands the challenges that come with being a journalist.
Samentha Reddy
Samentha Reddy is 37 years old and lives in Musgrave. She is a Mental Health Professional Nurse, practising for 10 years. In 2012, she took a Mental Health Award for the Region of KwaZulu-Natal. In 2015, she was involved in community projects in the Chatsworth Area, educating learners on substance abuse and the effects it has on their mental health. She is currently serving on the frontline of Covid-19 for the past year.
Apart from her profession she has been involved in digital campaigns and was nominated by Cuticura South Africa as a Hidden Hero for 2020. She is currently an Unseen International Semi-Finalist 2021 Representing KwaZulu-Natal, which is a Body Positivity Pageant.
This Pageant works in collaboration with Standunitedsa to fight against Gender Base Violence and this has been her platform to assist her community during Covid-19. She has her personal non-profit company called Honeycombe of Hope which is funded by her siblings and herself. Honeycombe of Hope was founded in memory of her eldest sister Ivashni Reddy as she passed away of cancer on the 14 February 2016. Her non-profit company distributes grocery vouchers to unemployed parents or single parents.
Sharika Sukhu Govender
Sharika Sukhu Govender is a 36-year-old mother of three from Newlands West. Over the years, she has accomplished many things in her life through hard work and determination. Govender is a multi-award-winning philanthropist, creator and Founder of The Queens group through which her labour of love the ‘I am warrior magazine’ was born. She is also business leader, community leader, director of Platinum Funerals Group as well as vice chairperson of Platinum Football Club. She believes that service to humanity is service to God. She is actively involved in numerous outreach efforts with The Queens but prefers to do so behind the scenes. Everything is done in a manner to respect everyone’s dignity no matter the situation. Her mission is to help and assist as many women and families as possible without stealing their dignity by broadcasting it. This is what makes her unique and so acknowledged throughout her community.
Yashina Singh
Yashina Singh is a woman of many talents and hats with a passion to make a positive change in the world, touching the lives of people one person at a time. Transforming lives in her opinion, stems from her firstly being fully vested in her family and wholly grounded in her faith. She is a Business Relationship Manager in a Financial Institution in KwaZulu-Natal with over 30 years of experience. She is also the Founder of The Lady of Purple, an Interactive Social Media Platform focused on empowering, uplifting and supporting Women in Business in achieving their goals and transforming lives.The Lady of Purple was inspired through a vision of bringing women together on one platform, helping to harness and hone their uniqueness and turning this into a competitive advantage in their different fields of business and spheres of life.
She has been recognised and subsequently nominated as a Glow TV Mrs Uniworld SA Pageant Finalist 2021. Being Proudly South African, Ubuntu is a part of her DNA. She is involved in many community upliftment projects through a local NPO called Ignite Revolution. Her academic achievements Include a online MBA Course though Udemy Academy apart from various commerce-related courses with the best teacher being Life’s Lessons.
Dr Nitasha Magan
A female gynaecologist practising in the south coast of Durban. She obtained her degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and her specialist degree at the Colleges of Medicine. She obtained additional training at the World Laparoscopic Hospital and further laparoscopic training in France. She is a former consultant and lecturer at the University of KZN. Her field of interest is in Reproductive medicine, in particular the fertility needs of women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. She is an associate practitioner at Durban Fertility Clinic.
Magan is a married mom of two wonderful children, a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son and ascribes her success to her inimitable parents, who are not only her strength and motivation, but raised her without limitation. As a daughter of a strong woman, and mother of a girl child, she echo the words of Kamala Harris, as women we have to “dream with ambition, and lead with conviction.”
Raeesa Essop
Raeesa Essop is a wife and a mum also a teacher, brand ambassador, part-time photographer and a social media content creator. She started blogging as a passion and eventually it became her full-time job. Her Instagram blog doesn’t only promote businesses but it also addresses social issues which we face on a daily basis. She also runs her own winter campaign distributing essentials to street kids. She strongly believes if you are passionate about anything, it will automatically become a success.
Margaret Hirsch
Margaret Hirsch is the CEO of the Hirsch Group, the largest independently owned Appliance and Electronics retail outlet in Southern Africa that is now in its fortieth year. She is already the enviable recipient of over 30 international and local awards for her business, social and charitable work which has uplifted people from many communities around the country. For many years, she has been heavily involved with Women and Youth Empowerment projects throughout Southern Africa. She personally visits schools around the country, motivating, encouraging and inspiring the youth.
For several years she has been a main supporter of the Girls with Dignity project that has distributed reusable panty packs to school girls in disadvantaged areas around the country. She recently started up a Safe Houses for Girls project in Gauteng and plans to roll out the concept in KZN and the Western Cape.
