Movers and Shakers: Three SA Women in the News

Women are firmly among the movers and shakers in South Africa. Many have made headlines, waves for change, or simply just been loved by their communities. From this illustrious company, I have chosen to present to you the three women who have moved and inspired me the most through social media.

A woman with many talents and a heart of gold

First up is Vanessa Raphaely who moderates The Village FB page, FOMO online mag, and fundraising initiatives born in our community (yes, I am a proud fully “paid-up” member). Vanessa’s background is in media so she knows exactly what she’s doing and brings her expertise to a fantastic site aimed at anyone looking after teens or tweens and the ups, downs, and in-betweens of parenting either awful or enchanting kids. Being strictly for parents there’s the odd snippet to make the reader blush and gasp in FOMO but otherwise, it’s a site crammed full of tips and provides a safe space for, mostly women, to air their triumphs and suggestions. Of course, there’s a fair bit of Testosterone thrown in to keep the Oestrogen in check! However, what has been so powerful this year is the number of families who have been helped either financially or, more importantly, simply supported during times of emotional stress, and all through Vanessa’s gentle moderation. I have no idea where she finds the time to moderate the page, run a family, produce a mag, and keep wayward caregivers all over the world in check.

The incredible voice behind ‘Jerusalema’

From there it seemed natural to stick to the social media theme so I selected Nomcebo Zikode. Hers is the incredible voice behind Jerusalema which is my latest obsession. Don’t ask me to dance to the beat or know all the catchy lyrics, but boy do I love it! She and Master KG have managed to unite the world in a storm of jivey disco-house music videos. The craze started, believe it or not, in Angola with a group of people holding their full plates of food, I think at a braai. It went viral from there: the original “braai party” 8mil views, the official music video 79.5mil views, and many millions more for other YouTube videos. Her voice is deep and rich and sublime and gives me goosebumps. But best of all is that it has become the unofficial anthem for essential workers in SA. Do yourselves a favour and look for the #jerusamlemadancechallenge and jive to her and the spirit of the song.

A gymnast with her sights set on the Olympics

Perhaps the biggest damp squib of the year was the Tokyo Olympics. My heart goes out to all the athletes who trained so hard. For some, it is their last opportunity to go for gold, and for others to somersault their countries into the record books. One such Olympian is Caitlin Rooskrantz. She is the 18-year-old gymnast who was set to represent SA, with good chances of winning a medal, in gymnastics. She has been training since primary school, with her mother supporting and encouraging her all the way through, for this huge event making her the first South African gymnast to reach the Olympics via international competition. The courage she showed performing her routine live-streamed for all to see on the exact date, at the exact time that she would have been performing in Tokyo was remarkable for someone so young. She’s got such a huge future ahead of her. I can’t wait to see her perform next year at the reboot of the 2020 Olympics.