Degracia Kumalo: Staying resilient in a male-dominated sector
“It’s not easy but it is worth it. It’s a matter of understanding that you have a contribution to make,” said Degracia Lindeni Kumalo, Principal Deal Originator for the Local Government Sector of the DBSA. “Your contribution can start small, but it doesn’t matter what title you hold, know you are adding to the bigger picture.”
Kumalo left a promising career in commercial banking to join the DBSA because the development mandate of the bank spoke to her. “I was not really getting the fulfilment where I was and I wanted to come to a space where I can contribute. So whenever I’m faced with challenges, I remember that, for me, I’ve been gifted with the opportunity to come and contribute to a diversity of life in this country.”
She says it warms her heart when her work brings about practical change on the ground, such as bringing water or electricity to a community.
However, the male-dominated banking sector meant that she was faced with prejudices and stereotypes as a woman, that defined success, ethics, culture, and justice in that space. “We are not given the opportunity to say how our society should see the environment that we all partake in. Instead, we have to hear it from those who are dominantly sponsors of these ideas, and they get to define all these social constructs for us.”
When she joined the bank in her twenties, there were very few women in the sector and she faced pushback for being in her sector.
But, she believes that this is changing and that there may be a larger change in the future. “We are going to get to a point where the end begins to say we need to balance our management skills, our professional skills, because there are a lot of women in these previously male-dominated structures and positions.”
In the meantime, while this shift is underway, she says that it is important to persevere with hard work and confidence, and the inner knowledge that you can do it. “Be persistent and open to criticism. Know that sometimes the criticism may be unjustified and be levelled from an obviously prejudiced point, but don’t lose your focus.
“So for me, it was to say when I show up, I need to remember that I do belong and I will be a participant at the table of development,” she said. “Never give up on what you desire and what you want. Whatever you conceive, you can achieve. Let no one tell you that it is not possible, it is always possible.”
She encouraged other women in the sector to focus on upskilling themselves constantly, both through formal and informal learning. Women should find ways to exert themselves, take the opportunity to teach where there’s ignorance or illiteracy and embrace progressiveness where men are allies and appreciate their capabilities. An important part of this for her has been to build a strong support system inside of the bank and reach out for mentorship.
Thembisile Khoza echoed Kumalo: “I believe that every woman holds the power to try in any environment that you find yourself in, and whether it’s male-dominated or fraught with difficulties, you have the power within you to transcend any of them.”