MANCOSA Centre for Women Leadership hosts Leadership and Skills Development workshop for women with disabilities

On Friday 6thOctober 2017, the MANCOSA Centre for Women Leadership hosted and facilitated a Leadership and Skills Development Workshop for female members of the Impumelelo Disabled organisation at the Mancosa [GSB]. The workshop was attended by thirty – two women from the organisation. The workshop initiated with a welcome address by Dr Claudine Hingston from the MANCOSA Centre for Women Leadership, followed by a presentation on ‘Understanding Women Leadership’ by Mrs Bakhetsile Mangena, an academic at MANCOSA. Mrs Mangena highlighted leadership challenges faced by women and urged all present to strive towards overcoming these challenges.

Dr Claudine Hingston then presented on ‘Leadership and Disability’, in which she focused on the challenges disabled women face in the attainment of leadership. She stressed however, that the leadership space was not only for men or for abled people and that disabled women also have a right to be leaders. She encouraged the women not to let go off their leadership dreams.

Ms Gugu Hlongwane, a financial adviser, later gave a talk on financial empowerment and highlighted various ways in which women can empower themselves financially. After a short tea break, Ms Zamalotshwa Londiwe Ndwandwe, a research coordinator at MANCOSA, presented on how to identify and develop skills. She stated that emotional intelligence was pivotal to skills development and explained how skills can be identified and developed. The workshop concluded with a motivational talk by Ms Nokubonga Sosibo, an academic at MANCOSA, who encouraged attendees to focus more on their abilities and less on their disabilities.