TINA THIART

Well-known women’s rights activist and non-profit fundraising guru, Tina Thiart, is an April Fool’s baby, born on 1 April 1956 – but her achievements are nothing to laugh at. She has worked for more than 20 years as a catalyst for social change and gender equality, aiming to build better communities in South Africa.

A self-confessed multi-tasker and network queen, Thiart runs a consultancy helping women’s funds, community groups and NGOs develop innovative fundraising strategies and sustainable development plans with the end goal of building strong organisations to bring about effective change.

As a child, growing up “on the wrong side of the street”, with three sisters and a brother, in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape, Thiart was painfully aware that equality was more a privilege than a right, with gender inequality equally entrenched in social fabric of what she describes as a “factory town”. Discrimination of every kind between classes, colour and culture was rife – and it irked her.

She was strongly influenced by her grandmother. “When she wanted a job done, she’d only ask once and then pick up the hammer and do it herself. So also always generated her own money,” says Thiart. So in an era when women stayed at home or had limited career options Thiart, always an adventurer at heart, was the first in her family to go to University, obtaining a BA in education at the Nelson Mandela University.

Ultimately Thiart found the world of teaching, where the men’s opinions held more sway and earned them more income despite having the same qualifications, intolerable. But, in speaking out against this inequality she found her obvious talent – and passion – in marketing and advocacy.

She moved to KwaZulu-Natal when her SANDF navy captain husband was transferred to Durban and took on the role of Director of KZN Athletics. Thiart launched the Tastic Rice Cross Country Initiative travelling around the province to identify talented young athletes and advocate for their inclusion in athletics events – effectively exposing these young athletes and their communities to many new experiences and opportunities.

When her husband, Thienus, was transferred to Simons Town Thiart joined the Women’s Hope Education and Training (WHEAT) Trust filing various marketing and fundraising roles, and then went on to become executive director of the International Network of Women’s Funds. She still consults for the WHEAT Trust (www.wheattrust.co.za), which invests in education, training and capacity building to develop leaders and to empower women to uplift themselves and their communities.

A hard worker and an avid golfer, Thiart is also the secretary of the World Wide Initiative for Grantmakers Support, and the chairperson of Woman’sNet and board member of the African Women’s Development Fund (South Africa). She works with the Southern African Community Grantmakers Leadership Forum and is the liaison officer of Grant.net, a network for corporate social investment managers and grant makers.

This year, she helped raise R1.2-million as part of WHEAT’s 1000 Women United Against Domestic Violence and Abuse Campaign in Cape Town. Thiart also launched the 1,000 Women campaign in Johannesburg, and will be launching the campaign in Durban on 20^th November just prior to the international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign –  a United Nations initiative held annually between November 25, the international day of no violence against women) and 10 December (international human rights day).

“Women and girls are not safe in their own homes. They can’t walk the streets at night and have little access to resources,” says Thiart who believes campaigns like 1000 Women and 16 Days of Activism increases people’s awareness and encourages people to speak out against gender-based violence in a society where people have historically condoned the behaviour by turning a blind eye.

The WHEAT Trust provides resources to women to stand up against violence and Thiart and her colleagues will be attending various events in the communities during the 16-day awareness campaign.

Thiart plans to grow the 1 000 Women campaign – she wans to increase WHEAT’s Facebook supporters to 10 000 supporters and have 5 000 women attend the 1000 women events in 2015. She also wants to increase the number of women’s organisations supported by the WHEAT Women’s Fund from 1 200 to 2000.

Having had family and friends affected by cancer, Thiart also plans to mobilise resources to help build the Cancer Buddies initiative, which provides support to cancer survivors and people living with cancer.

However, our tireless campaigner’s dream is start a fundraising academy to train and support fundraisers in the NGO sector who, at this stage, have very little support and no real accredited training. She has most of the details ironed out and just needs “a University or further education training centre to embrace this idea and provide us with the SETA accreditation to make this come true,” says Thiart.

BASETSANA KUMALO

Born in Soweto on 29 March 1974, Basetsana Makgalemele (now Kumalo) has gone from humble beginnings to beauty pageant winner, and well-known television personality, to respected South African businesswoman and philanthropist.

Her life story is one of rags to riches – and sounds like a fairy tale come true in modern-day South Africa. But Bassie (as she is generally known) has applied a lot of planning, hard work and determination to achieve all she has.

The former Miss South Africa began her schooling in at Orlando West’s Thabisang Primary School, but transferred to Lenasia to complete her studies before following in her mother’s footsteps and studying to become a teacher at the University of Venda.

She never got to use her teaching degree, however. Her future was shaped at the age of 16 when the teen won the Miss Soweto beauty pageant and went on to win the Miss Black South Africa title in the same year.

She followed this up by taking the Miss South Africa title in 1994 and the first princess sash in the Miss World pageant – wins and international exposure that served as a launching pad for Kumalo’s very successful career.

Instead of relaxing and simply enjoying her 12-month reign as Miss South Africa, Kumalo worked at making the most of the opportunity that was presented to her. Apart from having to overcome traditional perceptions of beauty pageant winners, Kumalo made valuable contacts and quite instinctively paved the way for developing the much-loved Bassie brand.

While still Miss South Africa Kumalo launched her television career. After a successful promotion recording Kumalo was offered a slot as a presenter. Within months, at the age of 20, she co-founded an all female production company Tswelopele Productions with Patience Stevens and negotiated the first external contract to be awarded by the SABC for Top Billing.

The current president of the Businesswoman’s Association of South Africa financed her first business venture by investing some of her prize money, and borrowing from her parents.

Taking the courage and chutzpah she’d learnt from her participation in pageants into the business world, Kumlao went on to establish her own make-up, clothing and sunglasses range, became a director of a successful travel company, started a publishing company producing Top Billing magazine, and diversified her business portfolio into mining and property… and carved a formidable name for herself in the business world.

The former head girl and top science student attributes her grounding in business knowledge to her parents. Her father, Philip, was a bus driver and her mother, Beatrice, was a teacher, but her enterprising parents also ran a small construction company and curtain making business to supplement their income.

Kumalo, her two sisters and brother were also expected to help earn money – which included selling sweets to friends at school and selling sandwiches an ice cream at soccer matches on the weekend.

Earning the title Revlon face of sub-Saharan Africa and serving as Revlon’s ambassador for five years was another stepping stone in Kumalo’s career giving her exposure locally and internationally – but it is what she has done with these opportunities that sets her apart.

Philanthropy features strongly in Kumalo’s life. She’s spent much time helping community upliftment projects from her time as Miss South Africa and beyond. She’s been involved in Childline, Reach for a Dream has been a Life Champion for Life College alongside people such as Tim Modise and Raymond Ackerman, and appointed to the board of HIV/AIDS prevention organisation LoveLife.

With her Soweto-born husband, Romeo – former general manager at SABC1 and currently Vodacom’s executive commercial director – Kumalo has also formed the Romeo & Basetsana Kumalo Family Foundation to assist the development of children, especially those orphaned by AIDS or related diseases.

Together they won the 2009 Inyathelo Philanthropy Merit Award from the South African Institute for Advancement, which recognised the extraordinary work they’ve done to assist individuals and communities in South Africa.

In 2008 Kumalo’s Bassie brand was listed as one of the top personal brands in the Sunday Times Top Brands Survey, a reflection of the success she’s made of melding glamour and sophistication with being a leading contemporary CEO, businesswoman and role model.

Kumalo attributes some of her success to being street smart, taking risks, not taking no for an answer and surrounding herself with the best brains in the business.

As a devoted mother to her only son, Nkosinathi, Kumalo tries to balance a successful and fulfilling career with family responsibilities. Despite their high profile the Kumalo’s keep their lives pretty simple and prioritise what is important – like quality family time on the weekends.

HERMAN MASHABA

Despite what can only be described as disadvantaged start, determination and hard work helped Herman Mashaba accomplish more than simply overcome adversity and hardship. He worked through two poorly paid clerical-type jobs, went on to find his calling in sales, and then started a successful hair care business – becoming one of South Africa’s most-admired and successful black entrepreneurs in the process.

While this exceptional journey of accomplishment sounds easy in summary, it was beset with far more trials and setbacks than this implies – and required a clear vision and determination to succeed that few possess.

Born on 26 August 1959, in the remote village of Ramotse, near Hammanskraal in northern Gauteng, Mashaba was largely brought by his sisters while his mother worked long hours as a domestic worker.

His near-poverty-to-riches story begins in earnest in 1980 at the University of the North (now the University of Limpopo) near Pietersburg. A centre of activism against Apartheid, political unrest put the second-year Bachelor of Administration student’s studies on hold – but when classes resumed, Mashaba decided not to return.

He worked briefly at Spar in Pretoria from late 1980, and then for a furniture manufacturer, before embarking on a sales career selling everything from dining crockery to fire detection systems and insurance. It was during his time as a sales rep for SuperKurl that the idea to start his own hair care manufacturing business was born.

With the help of former SuperKurl colleagues turned business partners, his wife, Connie – and a R30 000 loan – Black Like Me was launched on Valentines’ Day in 1985. Starting out in a 200 square metre factory in Ga-Rankuwa in the former homeland of Bophuthatswana, their new perm lotion was an instant success.

Black Like Me’s business loan was paid off within seven months, and by 1990 their brand and product range was so successful they had built their own premises in the black township of Mabopane in northern Gauteng.

But disaster struck in November 1993. Fire gutted the Mabopane factory and insurance did not pay out for the building contents, leaving Mashaba to personally finance his “rise from the ashes” and set up his third factory, this time in Midrand.

In July 1997, the proud father of two daughters – Khensani and Rhulani – sold a 75% in Black Like Me to Colgate Palmolive, but bought the business back in 1999. Mashaba, who has a strong work ethic and plans never to retire, was glad to back and the helm.

Black Like Me launched their products in the UK in 2001 and in 2002 Mashaba formed a BEE company, Leswikeng Minerals & Energy. Early in 2004 he resigned as CEO of Black Like Me and sold a 49.9% interest in the company to Amka Products in 2005.

The largely media-shy Mashaba could boast an impressive list of awards and directorships if he was so inclined. He is currently executive chairperson of Lephatsi Investments, a company he founded a few years ago, operating in the mining, construction and the logistics sectors. He is also CEO of Leswikeng Minerals & Energy, deputy chair of Growthpoint Properties and chairperson of Stocks Building Africa.

Topping his numerous business, marketing and entrepreneurial awards is a recently awarded honorary doctorate in business administration from the Central University of Technology.

Ever mindful of his humble beginnings, Mashaba has also paid the role of the philanthropist. His company took corporate social responsibility seriously, offering bursaries to needy students and paying for funerals of political activists.

He joined the youth-development focused Field Brand Foundation as a patron 15 years ago and is currently its chairman. The foundation uses music to create life-changing opportunities for children from underprivileged backgrounds, including international exchange programs.

A jazz and classical pianist himself, in his spare time, Mashaba also helped to establish (and sponsors) Black Like Us, a joint venture with the Watercolour Society of South Africa and the Manor Gallery in Fourways. The initiative fosters business and entrepreneurial skills in visual artists from the townships. The non-profit organisation has helped numerous artists to improve their careers, including internationally recognised Abe Mathabe and Sam Maduna.

In 2012, Mashaba published his autobiography Black Like You, which much like everything else Mashaba has touched, has turned into a best seller. Co-written by Isabella Morris, it is a compelling story of survival, love and success, ending in a triumph over adversity. It leaves one open to the possibility that they too could be successful – regardless of their personal situation.

Mashaba hopes it might motivate one or two entrepreneurs in the making. If nothing else, it will inspire you.

MARK BOUCHER

After a sport-immersed youth and an illustrious cricketing career, retired South African cricketer and star wicketkeeper, Mark Boucher, has come out to bat for our endangered rhino. Despite a career limiting eye injury on the field in July Boucher has taken on the role of rhino ambassador and hopes to raise more than R1-million to help put a stop to the poaching of our iconic rhino.

Born into a sports-mad family on the 3 December 1976, Mark Verdon Boucher grew up in East London in the Eastern Cape, and completed his schooling at the boys-only Selbourne College. Sports practice – and lots of it – featured prominently in his early life; Boucher represented Border for schools cricket, squash, swimming, tennis, cross-county running and rugby.

The ambitious youngster went on to play for the South African Schools cricket and squash teams and continued playing competitive squash up to national under-21 level. After playing cricket for South African Schools in 1994, Boucher was selected for the South Africa Under-19 side for tours against England in 1995. That’s when he decided that cricket was going to be his life.

Boucher, who had completed the first year of a sports management degree at the University of Port Elizabeth before being selected for the National Cricket Academy, went on to represent Border, Africa 11s, ICC world 11s, the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, as well as South Africa.

He quickly earned the nickname Guinness for the number of records he broke – becoming the youngest or fastest to many cricketing records and milestones.

As a Protea’s player, he was highly regarded as one of South Africa’s greatest wicketkeepers and holds the record for the most dismissals in test cricket. Feisty and driven to succeed, Boucher took the record from Australian wicketkeeper, Ian Healy, in 2007, lost it to Adam Gilchrist, another Aussies player, and then regained the title in February 2008.

Boucher is also second, behind Gilchrist, on the all-time list for One Day International wickets. Also a well-regarded batsman he made his maiden One Day International century in 2006, hitting an unbeaten 147 off 68 balls. With his hundred coming of 44 balls this was also the second fastest One Day International century ever scored.

He has played in 294 One Day Internationals and is one of eleven South Africa players to have played more than one hundred consecutive One Day Internationals for his country. IN 2007 Boucher grabbed the South Africa record for the most runs off an over, but this has since been beaten by Herschelle Gibbs’ 36 runs off an over – the highest score possible without no-balls or wides.

Boucher was voted South African player of the year in 1998, 2000 and 2006 and Wisden Cricketer of the year in 2009, but his career was cut shot a few months before he had planned to retire.

On 9 July last year Boucher was injured when a wicket bail stuck his left eye during a game in Somerset, part of South Africa’s test tour against England. Boucher underwent eye surgery and resigned from international cricket the following day. His doctors are hopeful of a 50% restoration of vision following further surgery.

Boucher has bounced back from his career and lifestyle changing injury, and in conjunction with South African Breweries (SAB), has started a campaign to help protect South Africa’s critically endangered rhino.

As passionate about conservation as he is about cricket, Boucher plans to do his bit to fight on-going rhino poaching as SAB’s Castle Larger Rhino Ambassador.

Together they have formed the SAB-Boucher Conservation non-profit company and hope to raise R1-million in the first year of their Rhino in Safe Hands campaign. With SAB donating R300 000 towards the set-up costs all the money raised by the campaign will be put towards saving rhino.

Our endangered rhino population is being decimated at a rate of almost two per day, and the long-term aim of the project is to raise enough money to register all of South Africa’s 18 000 remaining rhino on the national rhino database. This DNA database of rhinos will enable recovered rhino horns to be traced and matched to crime scenes. The database has already been used to successfully prosecute a number of rhino poachers and the registration of more rhino will help in both investigations and prosecutions.

Boucher and SAB have been able to attract some prestigious patrons to their cause, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Dr Ali Bacher, and Dr Ian Player and their long-term goal is to extend the reach of the non-profit organisation and support other species that might benefit in a similar way from national DNA registration.

JO-ANN STRAUSS

Former millennium Miss South Africa, Jo-Ann Strauss, seems to have one of those enchanted fairy tale careers which has seen her catapult from beauty queen to become a successful model and stylish media personality, sought after master of ceremonies and an astute business woman who continues to capture the attention of her many fans.

Born in Cape Town in 3 February 1981, Strauss grew up in Blackheath with her parents, Ingrid and Johan Strauss and younger brother Heinrich. She attended Uitsig Primary School and then caught the train to Hottentots-Holland High School in Somerset West for her senior school years to include Xhosa amongst her subjects. She was head girl, played some school soccer, but mostly concentrated on her studies.

After getting a 93% average in her matric finals, Strauss, who had dreams of becoming a hotshot obstetrician or gynaecologist, was accepted to study medicine at the University of Stellenbosch – but she decided to keep her options open and opted for a commerce degree at Maties.

Her University friends talked the elegant and adventurous Strauss into entering Miss Stellenbosch University, then they dared her to enter Miss Teen SA where one of the judges suggested she enter the Miss South Africa competition – which she won in 2000, her second year at University at the age of 19.

As our millennium Miss South Africa, Strauss represented SA at the Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico, placing sixth, and in the Miss World pageant at Sun City in 2001. She also launched a successful media career, auditioning for a position as a presenter on the Afrikaans magazine programme, Pasella on SABC2, in 2000.

She completed her commerce bachelor’s degree, with a focus on law, at Stellenbosch University, and presented for Pasella until 2004 when she secured a position as an anchor for the English lifestyle magazine show, Top Billing. As one of four presenters for Top Billing, she filled four passports travelling the world widely for Top Billing and travel series Top Travel over a six-year period, and interviewed a range of local and international celebrities.

With growing recognition as one of South Africa’s most stylish presenters, our glamorous beauty queen also regularly graced the covers of a number of South African magazines including Mooi, Rooirose, Makeover, My Health, Kuier, Sarie, Women’s Health, My Week, Juice, Destiny, Finesse, De Kat and Top Billing magazine.

A respected media personality, fluent in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa and German, Strauss is a sought after MC and speaker and has entertained audiences in South Africa and around the world. She also presented the opening of the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa for German television network ZDF and has charmed guests as far afield as the BMW World Golf Final in Phuket to awards dinners Sardinia and Monaco.

In 2009 she was chosen as the face of Lux – a career highlight for Strauss because Lux has always used top celebrities and beauty stars such as Marilyn Munroe, Sophia Loren, Rachel Weisz, Sarah Jessica Parker and Catherine Zeta-Jones. She also launched her acting career with a short role, appearing as pushing journalist in a German movie called The Secret of the Whales. The plot involves saving whales whose sonar is disrupted by technology used by companies drilling offshore for oil.

Following several years of dating her German doctor boyfriend, Michael Held, who’s athletic background is reputed to have improved Strauss’ workouts, the two wed earlier this year at a small and very private function, with 31 guests and no media, at Camps Bay Retreat.

Apart from running her own communications company, Strauss sits on a number of boards including the Western Cape Board of Ubuntu-Botho, a division of Sanlam. But her main interest is in corporate social investment.

In 2008 Strauss started the Princess Project, providing deserving young ladies the chance to go to their matric dance or proms in designer gowns previously owned by South African celebrities. She’s the chairperson of the Partnership Foundation Trust which has provided life and career skills training to more than 1,200 disadvantaged students. She’s also a shareholder and director in a venture capital company Partnership Investments, a women-owned black economic empowerment company that aims to contribute to the transformation process in South Africa and develop leadership talents in underprivileged children.

Towards the end of 2011 Strauss initiated the first online Presenter Search 2012 competition to put the presentation skills of young would-be presenters to the test. The top four candidates were taken on a life-changing trip to Zambia and given the chance to hone their skills with training and mentoring from Strauss and Bonang Matheba. Although some prizes were donated most of the competition cost were as paid for by Strauss to help talented South African’s, like winner Buhle Moletsane, break into the media industry.

KOPANO MATLWA

Kopano Matlwa is an inspirational young South African woman in her mid-20s who has already achieved more than most of us dream of achieving in a lifetime. She has completed her medical degree, won a scholarship to complete her masters at Oxford University in the UK, and written two award-winning novels.

Her list of achievements (which she won’t want used to define her) includes being selected as one of eight Goldman Sachs Global Leaders in 2005 and making the Mail & Guardian “100 young South Africans you must take to lunch” list two years in a row.

The eldest of Matsobane and Ingrid Matlwa’s three children, Kopano was born at the Mamelodi Day Hospital in Pretoria in 1985. As big sister to Tumelo and Manewa, she grew up in Midrand in Gauteng and won a scholarship to attend St Peter’s College in Sunninghill, Johannesburg, on the northern border of Eskom’s Megawatt Park.

Kopano was selected as Head Girl at high school, achieved full academic colours and matriculated with seven distinctions before heading to the University of Cape Town (UCT) to study medicine and always seems on the lookout to improve herself and the space around her.

At UCT she furthered her schoolgirl interest in community outreach projects as a volunteer for the Students' Health and Welfare Centres Organisation a student-run NGO at UCT that aims to improve the quality of life for individuals in developing communities. Kopano was also a member of the Clarinus House Committee, an orientation leader and member and mentor of the Golden Key National Honour Society – well known for developing exceptional leaders.

In her second year at medical school Kopano was selected as one of eight Goldman Sachs Global Leaders and went on to represent South Africa at the Goldman Sachs Global Leadership Institute in New York.

She was also a founding member and chairperson of Waiting Room Education by Medical Students, a non-profit organisation teaching patients, in the waiting rooms of mobile clinics, about common health conditions to empower them to take their health into their own hands.

While studying for her bachelors in medicine and surgery, the energetic Kopano made the time to follow in the footsteps of her heroine author, Toni Morrison, and wrote her first novel. She started writing about two young women growing up in contemporary South Africa in December 2003, after discussions with her sister Tumelo made her realise the important and uncomfortable issues people should consider.

Several rejection slips from publishers later, just as her manuscript was doomed to languish in a drawer while she set off on other pursuits, her debut novel Coconut – a fascinating view into the lives and issues of South African youth living in the modern post-apartheid era – won an EU Literary Award and a publishing contract with Jacana Books, when Kopano was just 21. Coconut, published in 2007, also won Kopano the JD Baqwa merit award.

Her highly acclaimed novel is a now set book, used as a teaching tool in many South African schools and several universities, and won the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature in 2010.

“I’ve always been a dreamer, with many goals and millions of ideas. My family and close friends will tell you what a restless soul I am; always involved in something new, often wearing myself out in the process,” said Kopano at the launch of Coconut in 2007.

Motivated by a quote from Abraham Maslow that reads: “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be,” Kopanos said that it was only after publishing Coconut that she truly understood that “when you have a dream or a goal you must go for it with your all, not only for the sake of others who are sure to benefit from what you can contribute, but for your own sake.”

Kopano completed her second book Spilt Milk before she graduated from medical school in 2010 – and made it onto the prestigious long list for the 2011 Sunday Times Fiction Prize, although she didn’t get onto the short list.

In 2010 Kopano was awarded a Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford University in the UK, where she’s currently reading for her masters in Global Health.

In a recent interview with Brenda Nyakudya for AfroPolitan Kopano said: “Fear is a powerfully debilitating emotion, and if you can conquer that, you can conquer anything.” Kopano certainly seems to have found an effective way to conquer any of her fears and achieve great heights!

LEE-ANNE PACE

Five years after turning professional, South African golfer Lee-Anne Pace, then 29, won her first professional tournament at the Ladies’ Swiss Open in June 2010, and went on to bag a further five wins to top the Ladies European Tour money list last year, earning EUR 359, 517 - the equivalent of R3.5million.

After winning the Swiss Open, the Mossel Bay club player won the Wales Ladies’ Open, the Finnair Masters, and secured two back-to-back victories at the Sanya China Ladies’ Open and the Suzhou Taihu Ladies’ Open in China before clinching top honours with her win in Dubai.

Pace is the first South African to top the Henderson Money List  – formerly known as the Order of Merit - on the European circuit, and has clearly found her swing, beating well-known UK veteran golfer Laura Davies to the top of the list in the final round at the Dubai Ladies’ Masters.

The thirty-year-old with an every-ready smile was also voted as the Players’ Player of the Year by her peers.  Being recognised by one’s peers is perhaps an even greater compliment, and with her sights set on winning a major tournament next year, this lady could well be setting a pace that will be hard to match.

Currently ranked 58^th in the world, Pace was born in Paarl in the Western Cape. The eldest of two daughters, she grew up in Wellington and attended the Hugenote Hoerskool there. When she was growing up she wanted to become a doctor or surgeon but finally decided to focus on golf as a career.

Her first introduction to golf was though her Dad, Francois Pace, who Pace describes as quite a good golfer. At age twelve the athletic hockey and tennis player used to caddy for her Dad for pocket money, earning R20 for a round of 18 holes on the weekend.

She moved from playing caddy to playing golf with the boys, and entered her first tournament at the age of 18. It was around then that her Dad suggested she seriously consider taking golf up as a career.

Pace, who loves the ocean, red wine and chocolate, went to study in the US, first at Murray State University and then the University of Tulsa and launched a successful amateur collegiate career while completing her degree in psychology.

She won the 2003 Ohio Valley Conference Championship, the 2003 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year as well as 2003 Murray State Player of the Year. She then won the University of Tulsa Player of the Year and the WAC Championship in 2005.

After turning pro in May 2005 Pace, who admits she is quietly ambitious, has worked steadily on improving her skills and her ranking. In her rookie year on the Ladies’ European Tour in 2007 she finished 110^th. She moved up quickly to 64^th in 2008 and 21^st in 2009 – while also being recognised as Player of the Year for 2009 by Complete Golfer and Golf Digest.

In 2010 she topped the Ladies’ European Tour list, beating 170 international players. Pace attributes her recent success to hard work, both on and off the course; working with South African-based coach Val Holland and James Pett, her coach based in Copenhagen, Denmark – where Pace was based last year for the European tour. She says she has been working a lot on her swing and also working out in the gym to improve her strength for distance shots.

Pace says apart from the physical training she’s also changed her mental approach to her training and game – becoming more goal oriented and tactical. She prepares in advance to understand the types of shots she’ll need to use for the course she is playing and also visualises her shots before playing.

As glamorous as all the travelling and winning sounds, there’s a lot involved and Pace says it takes time to get used to it all. The experience of a new country, new hotel, new course, different procedures, different food, different weather – or even just seeing your name on the leader board – can be a bit overwhelming initially. But South Africa’s rising golfing star seems to have adjusted to all those requirements.

Pace says the thing she’d most like to change is her impatience. She’s not a superstitious player, but admits that ever since she started wearing a white outfit for every final round she’s won a lot more tournaments.

 
After such a successful 2010, this year Pace, who aims to be one of the best woman golfers in the world, has her sights set on the US where she plans to compete in six events including the US Women’s Open, while still travelling back to Europe for all the big tournaments on the Ladies’ European Tour.

INA PAARMAN

Ina Paarman, one of South African’s most renowned food writers and television personalities, left her position as a senior lecturer at the Cape Technikon to open her own cooking school. Her business expanded alongside her culinary reputation and grew to the point where Ina Paarman is a well-known household name – and her gourmet range of dressings, sauces and seasonings add that final “secret ingredient” touch to many of the meals that grace our tables.

Reading this makes moving from being a home economist to award winning food journalist, author of eight cook books and the name behind one of South African’s well-known living culinary brands sound easy – but as Ina’s motto goes: nothing is easy.

Let’s start at the beginning of Ina’s successful journey. She spent her formative years in Beaufort West in the Karoo. At the age of 10 her young life took a dramatic turn when her father died of a heart attack at the age of 36, forcing her mother to find a job and become a career woman.

They moved to grandmother Anna’s dairy farm near Germiston and Ina completed her schooling at Hoer Volkskool Heidelberg in Gauteng. She enjoyed reading and participating in the drama group and went on to pursue her childhood ambition to be a teacher, completing a Higher Diploma in Education – her springboard to becoming a home economics teacher.

In 1982 Ina felt she needed a new challenge and with a little encouragement from her mother and support from her husband Ted, she made the scary decision to leave her secure lecturing job to start Ina’s Kitchen. The mother of two boys started her school, teaching the art of cooking with a uniquely South African flavour, from a converted garage in her home in Constantia in Cape Town.

From humble beginnings with six students enrolled at Ina’s Kitchen it didn’t take too long before the classes became so popular that Ina found there were not enough hours in the day to keep up with demand. As a result of growing word-of-mouth referrals and writing a regular food column in Die Burger Ina also became a respected South African food authority. She went on to write for a number of other publications including becoming the first food editor for Femina, and won both the Mondi and Galliova awards for excellence in food journalism.

Ina also had her own regular television cooking-slot on Good Morning South African and published the first of eight cookbooks – Cook with Ina Paarman. Her other books include The Ina Paarman all colour cookbook, Real food for real people, and five smaller publications: Cakes and desserts, What’s for supper?, What’s cooking?, What’s on the braai?, and Summer food.

As a sideline to her burgeoning home-based industry Ina developed a range of seasonings, sauces, bake mixes and dressings, starting with a seasoned sea salt using Grandma Anna’s recipe. The Paarman Foods brand that this evolved into took off when the Paarman’s youngest son, Graham, a certified accountant, joined Ina and her husband Ted in the business in 1990.

With Graham’s help they revamped the packaging, aggressively expanded the product range, hired factory premises in Diep River in Cape Town, and took on more staff and secured a shelf space in major retailers such as Pick ‘n Pay and Spar.

In 1995 they stared exporting to the UK and Australia and in 1998 Ina and her team began to supply customised products to restaurants and franchise groups – and are the ninth largest grocery to supplier to Woolworths. Today the Ina Paarman brand you see on the shelves is just 55% of the business.

When Ina, now widowed, is not busy in the business she relaxes with a good book, watches movies or heads out to do some gardening. She says she has a consultative management style, and likes to brainstorm before they set about doing anything to maintain a motivated team.

Paarman Foods has grown into a significant player servicing local and international supermarkets as well as the local food industry with a diverse range of gourmet products. Although they produce food on a large-scale commercial basis they’ve not lost the focus on producing healthy preservative-free food with an authentic home-made taste – and that could well be the secret to their continued success.

The Ina Paarman trademark is all about authenticity. The ingredients they use are of the best quality and Ina remains hands-on in the business – developing recipes, controlling quality and taste and communicating personally with customers and fans alike. She feels her secret to success likes in hard work, doing what she loves, and accepting support from her family.

RHODA KADALIE

Rhoda Kadalie unflinchingly cuts to the chase with her direct and assertive approach to gender and human rights, as well as politics in South Africa. She has a strong anti-apartheid profile but in September 2011 resigned somewhat controversially from the Stellenbosch University Council over the appointment of the lesser qualified of two candidates to a senior post and the dilution of academic excellence in the name of transformation.

She’s the granddaughter of Clements Kadalie, one of the first black trade unionist in South Africa, an academic, anthropologist, human rights activist, newspaper columnist and social commentator - and is admired (and sometimes feared) for her no-nonsense and forthright attitude. She’s recently released her first book, a compilation of her columns, appropriately titled: In your face – Passionate conversations about people and politics.

Kadalie was born on 22 September 1953 in District Six and grew up with seven brothers and a sister 16 years her junior in Mowbray before her family was moved, in her final year of high school, to the “coloured” area of Athlone, on the Cape Flats, under the Group Areas Act. 

The family ran without gender stereotypical roles under a mother who made it clear she wasn’t wiling to be anyone’s slave – which imbued a healthy sense of gender equality and fairness in Kadalie. She learnt the quality of assertiveness from her mother; and as the daughter of pastor, Kadalie grew up with strong Christian values, principle among which was respect.

After completing her studies at Harold Cressy High School she went on to study library science and anthropology completing her arts degree at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) where she developed an interest in politics and women’s rights. Kadalie went on to lecture at the University of Cape Town’s summer school, and after completing her masters at the Institute for Social Science in the Netherlands, she returned to UWC to lecture anthropology and went on to play a founding role in the UWC’s Office of Gender Equity. 

While bringing up her daughter, Julia, largely as a single mother, she campaigned against the attitude the women’s rights should be sacrificed in the name of a unified political struggle and, although labelled a bourgeois Western feminist, continued undeterred to campaign against sexual harassment and rape on campus.

With Kadaie’s influence as one of a group of women to campaign for women’s rights as human rights on the UWC campus, the university was the first campus to develop a sexual harassment policy. They also successfully campaigned for maternity and paternity benefits for academics, equal housing benefits – as well as push for the promotion of women in the academic hierarchy.

Kadalie left her life as an activist academic at UWC to take up an appointment from Nelson Mandela as a Human Rights Commissioner for the Western and Northern Cape in 1995 but she left after three years when she realised that people were being paid “gravy-train salaries” while cheating tax payers as a result of inadequate leadership, control and direction.

In 1998 she headed up the district Land Claims Commission for District Six to deal with 2,000 unprocessed land claims – an issue close to her heart. The R1.7million budget for the first year never materialised and Kadalie left the Commission in 1999, disappointed after being told to pay over the funding she’d raised for her office to a central kitty.

In 1999 the University of Uppsala in Sweden awarded Kadalie an honorary doctorate in liberal arts and she founded the Impumelelo Innovations Award Trust in the same year. Under Kadalie’s directorship, the non-profit Impumelelo provides financial assistance to innovative and well-run public-private partnerships that improve the quality of life of the poor in South Africa – with a focus on building capacity for service delivery.

Kadaie was awarded an honorary doctorate of literature from UWC in 2007, and is a regular columnist in Die Burger and Beeld.

Apart from humanitarian work in her role as Executive Director at Impumelelo (now known as the Impumelelo Social Innovation Centre) Kadalie serves on the Rhodes Scholarship Committee, the University of Cape Town Council and served on the Stellenbosch University Council prior to her resignation in 2011.

Dubbed the ANC’s internal critic she’s anti-transformation and affirmative action if it means South Africans, especially poor South Africans, have to suffer incompetence and lack of service delivery as a result.

Kadalie plays a tireless and vital role in keeping our politicians honest – or at least more honest than they would be otherwise – and deserves our thanks as a champion of equal rights for all.

PAUL TREU

Popular national rugby Sevens captain and coach, Paul Treu, has coached the Springbok Sevens squad (known as the Blitzbokke) to a number of victories including a World Series win in 2009. He’s revolutionised the way Sevens is viewed in South Africa, and is focusing on building a strong squad for the first inclusion of rugby Sevens as a sport in the 2016 Olympic Games. In addition Treu and is a popular choice as a future backline coach for the Springbok rugby squad.

Treu was born on 23 July 1971 in Swellendam at the foot of the Langeberg mountains in the Western Cape, a two-to-three hour drive east of Cape Town about half way between the mother city and George. He went to Bontebok Primary School and matriculated from Swellendam Senior Secondary School before completing his teacher’s diploma at the University of the Western Cape, his honours at Stellenbosch University and his masters in educational psychology at the University of Port Elizabeth.

After making his rugby debut for the South Western Districts’ Eagles at the Bankfin Currie Cup in 1996 Treu made the Emerging Springboks squad in 1997, playing against the Lions. He played for the Northern Bulls and Vodacom Eagles in 2000 and 2001 in the Super 12s and the Mighty Elephants in 2002 and 2003 before specialising as an international Sevens player and team captain.

Treu first played for South Africa at the International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens in Uruguay and Argentina in 2000. He represented South African in the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Argentina in 2001 and the IRB Sevens in South Africa and the Common Wealth Games Sevens in 2002.

In the 2003/04 season, while battling with a knee injury, the international Sevens player, at short notice moved from being captain of the Sevens Boks in one season to coach the next season, and quickly put the experience that helped him earn more than 70 tries as a Sevens player to good use.

In the fourth international game after Treu took over as coach the Sevens Boks squad won the IRB tournament in Singapore. Treu went on to build squads that won games in the US, Wellington, Dubai, South Africa, Australia, London, Edinburgh and Paris. Under the former teacher’s leadership the Sevens Boks managed to win at least one tournament in every series for several years in a row after he took over as coach.

With a World Series win in the 2008/09 season Treu joined the ranks as one of three coaches other than New Zealand’s Gordon Tietjens to have won a World Series.

But Treu is possibly best known for having revolutionised Sevens Rugby in South Africa. His vision for developing the game has resulted in a permanent Sevens base camp in Stellenbosch and the contracting of full time Sevens players. He was first (together with the South African Rugby Union) to offer some Sevens players professional contracts to keep the in the game which, along with his selection planning and coaching, has improved the quality of players and the attractiveness of Sevens.

While the Springbok and Super 15 squads attract the top players, Sevens is seen as a developmental tool for rugby talent, and Sevens is likely to grow in popularity with the introduction of the first provincial Sevens tournament in schools this year and the inclusion of Sevens in the 2016 Olympic Games.

Since the 2009 World Series victory Treu lost a number of Sevens team stalwarts and his current focus is to develop a strong young team for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He’ll need a squad ready by 2013 to play in the qualifiers and will be putting together a strategic plan for 2016.

Known as a shrewd tactician, Treu is seen as a favourite to become the new backline coach for the Springbok squad. He wasn’t available for comment to confirm or deny persistent rumours, but In earlier interviews in the media he has indicated that he is contracted to the Sevens squad until 2013 and remains committed to the Blitzbokke until then. However, speculation about a possible move is rife.

In an interview with Business Day, former Springbok wing Ray Mordt said: “The skills Paul would transfer to the backline from the Sevens code could be invaluable in boosting the team’s performance because the speed of play in Seven is much quicker than in the 15-man code.”

CONRAD STOLTZ

Conrad Stoltz, known fondly as “The Caveman” for his imposing 19-metre frame and super-human sporting achievements, is our world champion triathlete. He’s won five South African Triathlon titles, five All Africa Triathlon Championships, and has four off-road XTERRA World Championship wins. This year Stoltz bagged the inaugural ITU Cross Triathlon World Championship title, another off-road triathlon race.

He’s also competed in the Olympic Games, in both Sydney and Athens, and at 37 is racing stronger than ever. He’s currently in the US powering his way to new records, having just won his 40^th title in the XTERRA series, with a strong chance of achieving his goal of a fifth XTERRA World Championship title.

Born in Lydenberg in Mupmalanga province on 23 October 1973, Stoltz grew up near Pretoria. He rode his first bicycle without training wheels at the age of three, and started racing BMX at seven.

Coming from an athletic family he was also involved in running track and field events at school, running competitively from the age of 10.

Stoltz got his first road bike when he was 14 – the same year he competed in his first triathlon, together with his father, Gert. As a junior athlete, Stoltz was South Africa’s junior dualthlon and trialthlon champion in 1990 and 1991.

At 18 Stoltz launched his career as a professional triathlete. He had some impressive wins early in his career, with five South African and five All Africa titles and raced six seasons for French clubs Montpelier and Cahors in the mid-1990s.

In 2001 Stoltz’s career took off with a win in the legendary Chicago Triathlon and taking the XTERRA series World Championship title in the US. This was his rookie year in the competition, with no sponsor. He won the race with a 10-minute lead, and successfully defended his title in 2002.

After setbacks and injuries in 2005 and a near career-ending crash in 2006, Stoltz reclaimed the XTERRA World Championship title in 2007 and again in 2010, and has been USA Champion eight times since his first win in 2001 - only missing the 2004 and 2006 titles.

To balance these highlights, Stotlz has had his share of lowlights, including mechanical failures, punctures, and race or pre-race injuries. Not all of these could stop The Caveman. He cut his foot three minutes before the start of the XTERRA race in Richmond, but still managed to win the race before being whisked off to hospital to have eight stitches, and a major operation four days later. 

But Stoltz’s worst injury was in 2006 when a serious crash left him with a broken back and seven breaks in his wrist – one day before an important competition.

An avid black and white photographer and flyshisherman, Stolltz recently said that he’d met his match. He didn’t mean someone who cycled, ran or swam faster than he does; he was announcing his engagement to Liezel Wium. The happy couple are due to tie the knot on 11 November this year.

Now in his tenth year of racing mostly in the US, Stoltz is based in Stellenbosch, near Cape Town. He lives on a diet of potatoes, eating about eight potatoes a day and lots of meat, and spends three months here in intense training before going over to the US to compete, spending six months based in the US racing, with a second home base in Bend, Oregon.

The remaining three months of the year Stoltz spends with his father, nicknamed Tarzan by Stoltz’s friends, and mother Liesbeth, on their farm Roodewalshoek in Mpumalanga.

Stoltz says his biggest regret is not training with a coach earlier in his career. He feels the first seven years he was either over trained, injured or both and regrets the waste of talent – something he clearly has an abundance of. Now armed with two decades of experience and a great coach in South African Ian Rodgers, Stoltz enjoys mentoring young athletes.

Acclaimed as a popular, down-to-earth and humble athlete, Stoltz is living up to the meaning of his Germanic surname. Stoltz means proud – and there’s no doubt that all South Africans can be proud of this triathlete and ambassador.

His future plans include getting off-road triathlons accepted as a sport for the next Olympics – and to win it at age 41! When he’s done with professional triathlons Stoltz plans to continue to participate in triathlons for fun, to stay involved in product research and development for the sport, and to spend more time on his much-neglected properties, which he calls his pension fund.