Judges announced for Women of the Year Award 2011
9 June 2011
The names of the panel of judges for the Shoprite Checkers Women of the Year Award which will award exceptional and visionary women who have achieved in their own fields with the determination and foresight to make an impact on the future of many fellow South Africans have been announced.
Visit the Gallery for photos of the 2011 judges
Chaired by High Court Judge, Lucy Mailula, the panel of judges, comprising 16 high profile South Africans, will meet in June 2011 to determine the finalists and winners.
The categories of the Award have been selected very carefully to look at some of the social and economic issues that will impact positively on the future of the country. South Africans nominated women who make our nation proud in five categories, namely: Health Care-Givers; Educators; Socio-Economic Business Developers; Good Neighbours Against Crime and Youth Movers.
The judging sessions start in June 2011 with two rounds of adjudication to determine the category finalists and winners. They will be selected via a process of personal interviews by a panel of 16 high profile South Africans chaired by High Court Judge, Lucy Mailula.
The category for Health-Care Givers is chaired by Prof Angela Mathee, a renowned academic who has widely published in the field of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She is assisted by Prof Pauline Kuzwayo who has worked extensively in the area of nutrition policy development with specific focus on nutrition programmes targeted at women and children and people living with HIV/Aids and Prof Naeema Abrahams, a senior specialist scientist at the Gender & Health Unit of the Medical Research Council of South Africa.
In the Educators category Prof Teboho Moja, who has served as Special Advisor to two Ministers of Education in South Africa is the chairperson. The other two panel members are Prof Sarah (“Saartjie”) Gravett, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg and Dr Gcina Mhlophe-Becker who is one of the most prominent storytellers in South Africa.
The chairperson in the Socio-Economic Business Developers Category is Adv. Pansy Tlakula, the Chief Electoral Officer of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) which has led the team that managed the 2004 and 2009 National and Provincial Elections as well as the 2006 and recent 2011 Local Government Elections. She is assisted by Ms Wendy D. Appelbaum, the chairperson of De Morgenzon Estate, recognised as one of the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World and Mr Mokgethi Tshabalala who manages the Thebe Foundation, a non-profit foundation with the aim to provide solutions for social and environmental problems.
The judging panel of the Neighbours Against Crime Category is chaired by Prof Elrena van der Spuy who is a member of the Centre of Criminology and Associate-Professor at the Department of Public Law at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She is assisted by Ms Judith February who is the Head of the Political Information and Monitoring Service at Idasa and regular commentator in the media on politics in SA and Ms Koo Govender, Director of Corporate Marketing & Communication at M-Net who is the third member of the panel.
The chairperson of the Youth Movers category is Mr Thebe Ikalafeng, one of South Africa’s top marketers who have been recognised nationally and internationally in the marketing industry. He is assisted by Mr Vaughn Bishop, the man who conceptualised and manages the award winning Let’s Play campaign which has been recognised as the best CSI initiative in South Africa and Ms Jo-Ann Strauss who has become one of the best presenters in South Africa since she started her career ten years ago after winning the Miss SA Title and completing her B.Comm (Law) Degree at Stellenbosch University.
Through this Award the Shoprite Group wants to focus the attention of the people of South Africa on finding solutions for those critical matters affecting the nation’s future. The winners will be awarded with individual prize money but we will also give R100 000 towards the work they do for a better future.
To ensure sustainability of this work the Shoprite Checkers Women of the Year Award has partnered with the WHEAT Women’s Fund to help the winners manage the investment of the R100 000 for their project.
The WHEAT Women’s Fund is an organisation committed to achieving gender justice through supporting grassroots women’s initiatives with investments, skills training and technical support. They help community-based organisations and projects to implement their outreach efforts and encourage accountability and good governance.
Furthermore the Shoprite Checkers Women of the Year Award will honour an esteemed South African whom during her or his lifetime has inspired generations.
The public has been asked to nominate the Lifetime Achiever who will receive R100 000 to donate to a cause which the recipient believes will better the lives of South Africans.
They will also be asked to vote for the women they believe deserving of winning in the various categories once the finalists’ work are profiled in the media. The public voting will account for 30% of the final score although the judges’ decision will be final.
The category finalists will be announced on Wednesday, 13 July 2011 while the winners in each category will be announced on Saturday, 23 July 2011 at a spectacular gala evening at Emperor’s Palace in Gauteng.
This dazzling event will be broadcast during prime time on Monday, 8 August 2011 on M-Net. The programme will be re-broadcast on National Women’s Day, 09 August 2011.
News
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Nominations for the 2012 Shoprite Checkers Women of the Year Award have closed and the organisers said that top calibre nominations were received from all over the country to name South Africa’s most outstanding women of this year.
Quality education critical in SA
Ms Barbara Creecy (photo), MEC for Education in Gauteng, said working to achieve quality education is critical to redressing the political, economic and social standing of everyone in South Africa.
Women of the Year Office
Tel: +27 21 980 4285 / 1570
Fax: +27 21 983 5222
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