Strong sisters in a popular province
Women commended for charitable work
IT was all about women when scores of them gathered at Durban’s Hilton Hotel on Wednesday night.
The occasion was the annual general meeting of SA Women’s Forte, a women’s empowerment body founded by financial consultant Rita Abraham.
Radio personality Deon Govender, who was one of only three men in the room, was the evening’s master of ceremonies.
Abraham reported on the group’s charitable activities before the guest speaker, author and psychologist Devi Rajab, took to the podium.
Rajab — beautiful in a peacock-blue and green sari — commended the women for their progressive work.
Her opening joke, that “women were created from Adam’s rib, but have now taken over his whole body”, set the tone for her speech about strong women such as her 99-year-old mother.
She was presented with a framed photograph of Nelson Mandela, taken by Kevin Joseph (the second man in the room. The third was our photographer).
Rajab had to leave after her talk — but not before being mobbed for pictures. TOURISM stakeholders gathered over croissants, muesli and orange juice on Thursday morning in the Suncoast casino’s Delano room to hear about the country’s top destination for South Africans. The event, hosted by Tourism KwaZuluNatal, was intended to give updates to those in the industry.
A beach scene in the room — ironic because the venue is literally at the edge of the sea — was in keeping with the province’s main attraction.
Chief executive Ndabo Khoza said proudly that KwaZulu-Natal was the number one domestic tourism destination, and he outlined how the organisation was wooing international visitors to the province.
Chief operating officer Phindile Ngcobo ended the formalities by reminding guests that, unlike other countries, not all South Africans are patriotic and that “while you may not agree with the government, ours is a beautiful country”.
True story.