Take Charge – Career Snippets
Dipalesa Mbola, 26, a Miss South Africa 2014 finalist and founder of the Dipalesa Pitchov Foundation, focuses on uplifting young women in the Free State
Dipalesa holds a BCom degree in Marketing and a BCom Honours degree in Business Management. Following her experience of participating in the Miss SA pageant, she wanted to share what she’d learnt and empower young women on their worth, so she started Miss Glamorous Free State. The beauty pageant has grown and has been under the Macufe Festival umbrella since 2015. She wants to do more and ensure she touches young women beyond beauty and broaden their horizons. This goal led to her and business partner, Pitchov Kumwimba, starting the Your Superpower, Girls Takeover, summit.
“While doing the beauty pageant over the years, we discovered some girls with great potential, but who lacked certain skills. We travelled the province for auditions and we’d go to even the smallest towns, where I saw a need for mentorship and desired to equip them.
“I started Superpower summits in 2016 to help as many women as possible, because many may not fit the ‘pageant girl’ norm. There wasn’t a lot of guidance or platforms
that seek to groom girls and young women. We were opening doors for lots of girls who wanted to be empowered and inspired by various role models. We’ve had speakers like Nomzamo Mbatha, Pastor Pushie, Rolene Strauss and Clara Banks. We take a holistic approach to the summits and I’m truly proud of the growth through the years.
“Receiving feedback from the young women after each summit really drives me. I know there is a positive impact even though it isn’t easy to organise. It’s a challenge securing sponsors and speakers but I’ve found purpose in passing down what I have learnt, and won’t give in.
“As young black entrepreneurs we struggle with support, it’s not impossible but it is tough. When you’ve heard ‘no’ a couple of times it’s easy to get discouraged, and I know many have given up along the way. But, we need to have confidence in what we bring to the table because if you’re confident in your abilities, you’ll know they’re not saying no to you, they just don’t see your vision.
“We’re working on expanding the summit and our reach, not only the Free State but across borders. We’ve had some love and numerous requests from Johannesburg and Botswana,” she shared.
“When going into business, you should view yourself as a business person – people treat you the way you treat yourself. If you come in feeling at a disadvantage, you are already at a disadvantage.” – PHUTI MAHANYELE-DABENGWA, CEO OF NASPERS SOUTH AFRICA