Linda Olga Nghatsane is one of the most inspiring woman who's been executing rural development in Mpumalanga Province and her key focus is on women empowerment. She was a winner of Shoprite Checkers/ SABC2 Women of the Year for 2007. Linda was born in 1958, in Mpumalanga Province. Even though Linda is a nurse by profession, she started farming few years back. Her primary motivation for farming was to educate women on how to live and work on their own.

Linda and her husband Johnson bought a 10 hectare farm near Nelspruit in 2004. Linda says that it was a patch of land with no development, no infrastructure, no electricity and no water. They both cleared the bush, mostly by hand with the help of three men. The next challenge was getting water to the farm. A first attempt at drilling a borehole failed, at a cost of R36 000. The second borehole hit water at 60m.

Nghatsane has no formal training in agriculture. Instead, during work trips to other countries, she paid attention to rural communities. She also relies on her husband's farming skills. Though she did not receive formal training on farming she grew up in a family that was involved in farming

Three years later, the original 10 hectares was covered by all kinds of farming projects. One of her first projects was a chicken house for 1 000 chickens. That project was very successful - the poultry was sold out within months. Nghatsane's farm has capacity of more than 25 000 chickens. She also grows strawberries, oyster mushrooms and a variety of other vegetables. Linda received financial help from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Land Administration. She used the money to fence the farm and built two broiler chicken houses and a borehole. The farm now has an annual turnover of R2-million a year.

Nghatsane said that her farm was a way to put theory into practice. She combined agriculture with health to support community development. Through farming, she has created jobs and trained people to grow their own food. She now conducts training on planting vegetables in plastic bags, poultry and oyster mushroom production. She also cares for and supports orphans and helpless children.

Linda was not expecting to win the Shoprite Checkers Award. She gave some advice to other women by saying that they should persevere and do what they want to do. She continued by saying that they should start small, learn on the way and expand as they go. Today, Linda is recognised as one of South Africa's really successful business women, and her story is an inspiration to all South Africans.

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• Shoprite

Dr Anna Mokgokong was born in Soweto, in 1957. She is an executive director of MacMed Healthcare (SA's largest JSE-listed healthcare supplier), a member of the Institute of Directors and a CEO of the Malesela Hospital Group

She went to school in Swaziland at St. Theresa's Girls School in Manzini. After that, she obtained a BSc degree at the University of Botswana. She also completed a MB ChB degree at the Medical University of South Africa and won the Best Family Medicine Student Award. Anna says that as a child she never dreamed of being a doctor or a business person, but her parents wanted her to be a doctor.

Anna started her business career at a very young age in primary school by selling sandwiches for cash. Again, by the time she was in Medunsa she was selling handbags and belts to other students. The lecturers at medical school did not like Anna's interest in business. They thought that it might affect her studies. Surprisingly Anna was one of the top performing students at Medunsa. She was given R40 000 worth of stock in Swaziland through her contacts. The business became a huge success and she expanded to include African clothing. By the time she completed her medical degree she was able to sell her business for R150 000.

Anna used the capital that she got from the business to establish the Hebron Medical Centre in the Northwest Province. She built a primary healthcare centre and baby welfare clinic with over 40 000 patients. When we talk about Anna Mokgokong today, we talk about one of the most confident female entrepreneurs in South Africa. Anna believes that previously disadvantaged South Africans now have an opportunity to take part in the broader economy.

Dr Mokgokong serves on the various boards of organisations, including the University of Pretoria, Community Healthcare Holdings and Monte Vista Casino. In 1999, she was named South Africa's Business woman of the Year. She was also selected as one of the 50 leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World by the Star Group in United States. Dr.Mokgokong believes that the private sector has an important role to play in ensuring that healthcare standards are maintained in South Africa.

Dr Mokgokong says "This is our time . . . There are so many incentives and opportunities for women. Government policy is driving that, and many companies are looking for women owned service providers. I believe that if you have that edge to step out into business, this is the time, and I wouldn't give it another two years. I'd say just step out now, actually go out and find what service you can offer that people are looking for right now."

To know more about Dr. Anna Mokgokong's achievements , click here

• Businessday
• Leadingwomen
• Health System Trust

Kate Otten is a well-known South African architect whose work is highly respected both within her profession and by the public. She is the founder member and director of Kate Otten Architects CC, which she established in 1989. Her work has been widely published nationally and internationally. She has won many competitions and received numerous awards for excellence in architecture.

Kate was one year out of university when she decided to go for business. She established Kate Otten's Architects CC. This was the time when work was scarce in South Africa and architecture was considered the area of white men. Kate Otten’s company was one of the first female architectural firms in South Africa. Gender roles in architecture were clearly defined at the time and were difficult to challenge. Kate was the only woman in a group of 10 - 40 men and she was expected to take the orders. She was sometimes mistaken for the secretary delivering drawings at site meetings especially industrial and commercial projects.

Kate Otten Architects cc specifically employs women or previously disadvantaged individuals. Kate encourages gender empowerment within the practice and with respect to how and with whom projects are undertaken. Through her work Kate aims to uplift, inspire, and give confidence to other and younger architects.  Young architects who are still growing in the industry take this woman as a role model within for them.

Kate's work includes commercial, residential and retail as well as other building types such as Art Therapy Centre, Community Library and Museum Exhibition Space at the Women's Goal at Constitution Hill. Her work deals with developing an architectural language that is useful for skills development, materials, climate, client, user and site. Her focus is a search for an African identity in architecture that reflects the uniqueness of our landscape, context and way of life. Kate Otten described herself as proudly South African.

Her recent achievements include winning the prestigious international Architecture and City scape award for her International House Students Hall of Residence at Wits University. Kate Otten Architects were joint winners of the Accord Peace Centre competition, The Bluff, Durban and they received a Highly Commended in the High-Density Housing International Architectural Competition. Kate has also established Kate Otten Associates as the sister Interior Design Company to the architectural practice.

Kate a mother and a business woman said that "as a woman, you are often 'watched' to confirm your worth and therefore need to be smarter, sharper, faster, better than your male counterparts'. For Kate, it is important for a woman to balance and maintain a happy home and create a friendly environment in the office. Architectural design in this country has always had a certain Western bias. Kate has overcome all those obstacles. There was a lack of confidence in African architecture, culture and design and clients were unwilling to financially fund her unusual projects. The buildings have proved to be successful for the clients both financially and from a public appeal point of view.

• BWASA
• Kate Otten Architec