Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Time toWoman Up! meet the Top 10 richest women in Africa

How much do you know about our powerful African women? That's the question we are asking as we head to Africa Day on Sunday (25 May)

10. Elisabeth Bradley, Nett Worth R332 million

Elisabeth Bradley, South Africa, is the daughter of Albert Wessels, the man who made history by being the first person to bring the Toyota brand to South Africa. Forbes.com reports that in 2008, Wesco Investments, a South African holding company which she controls, sold off its 25% stake in Toyota South-Africa to Toyota Motor Corp. in Japan for US$320 million (R2.1 billion). She walked away with at least US$150 million (R1 billion).

9. Sharon Wapnick, Nett Worth R433 million

Sharon Wapnick, South Africa, is the largest shareholder of Premium Properties and Octodec Investments. Her father, Alec Wapnick, founded both companies.

8. Bridgette Radebe, Nett Worth R1 billion

Bridget Radebe, South Africa, who started as a mineworker, is the founder of the company Mmakau Mining which mines coal, chrome, gold, uranium and platinum. Jeff Radebe, the Justice Minister in South Africa is her husband and Partice Motsepe is her younger brother.

7. Irene Charnley, Nett Worth R1.5 billion

Irene Charnley, South Africa, has worked for numerous companies as an Executive Director including MTN and FirstRand Bank. She played a vital role in MTN’s success and expansion in the African region. She was instrumental in negotiating for and acquiring one of four GSM licenses in Nigeria and also helped MTN secure the second GSM license in the Islamic Republic of Iran. She is currently the CEO of Smile Telcoms, Mauritius.

6. Wendy Ackerman, Nett Worth R1.9 billion

Wendy Ackerman is a director at Pick n Pay, which is one of the largest grocery chain stores in Africa. The South African company has other outlets in Australia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria and Zambia. The Ackerman Family is quite powerful in South Africa.

5. Wendy Appelbaum, Nett Worth R2.6 billion

Wendy Appelbaum is a director at Liberty Investors. She has donated US$23 million (R150 million) to create the Gordon Institute of Business Science (Gibs), and the Donald Gordon Medical Center.

4. Ngina Kenyatta, Nett Worth R5 billion

Jommo Kenyatta’s family is among the richest in Africa. Ngina Kenyatta has managed to safeguard and multiply her late husband’s investments. The Kenyatta Empire includes: Real estate, hospitality, education, manufacturing, farming and banking.

3. Hajia Bola Shagaya, Nett Worth R6 billion

This Nigerian businesswoman has diversified her investments across industries like real estate, banking, photography, communications and the oil sector.

2. Folorunso Alakija, Nett Worth R 6 billion

Folorunso Alakija is a fashion designer and her company, Supreme Stitches, which was launched in 1985, made her a fashion icon in Nigeria. She also owns FAMFA Oil Company located in Nigeria.

1. Isabel Dos Santos, Nett Worth R10 billion

Isabel Dos Santos, Angola, has invested heavily in diamonds and oil. She is the daughter of president Jose Eduardo dos Santos and is among the directors of a number of high profile companies. Her investments are diversified and spread-out in Portugal and Angola. She made history by becoming the first woman billionaire in Africa.

Ha haa, Could not agree more!

Professor Responds To ‘Angry Graduate Just Wrote This Letter To His University’

22nd May 2014

Dear Angry Graduate,

Your rant about the cost of higher education might be the best indicator of why you are finding it so difficult to get a job. Your lack of understanding of the role of education, the assumption that education guarantees you a job, and the idea that education somehow causes bubble economics shows that you are sadly mistaken. You managed to get a degree but failed to become an educated person.

Education is a dialogue between teacher and students, student and student, academy and the world. We focus on qualitative measures of meaning, purpose, relationship, art, thought, and belief. We value person and life as who we are, not what we do. Our goal is to shape the way we think, looking beyond the superficial gains of power and influence to see consequences and effects on the meaning of being human. Education acts as a check and balance system to political and corporate greed and corruption. Education strives for greater equality as it measures success by ideas and expression rather than method and production. It fosters intelligent leadership through critical thinking. It demands self-reflection as a motivation to evaluate and change, and offers a spectrum of knowledge that becomes a laser of invention and creativity.

It is an expensive proposition. You want to know where your measly $16,000 a semester went? It went to the library to help pay the $500,000--$1 million a year bill for online data services that allow you to stay in your room and explore the world. It went to the $2 million electric bill and the $3 million water bill. It paid for security, secretaries, equipment, maintenance, improvements, food services, internet access, books, furniture, gym equipment, student services, and cleaning services. There is still the small issue of salaries, insurance, seminars, speakers, labs, student workers, support services, and research.

I, like many others who work here, receive marginal salaries. I work three jobs to pay my bills. I live a simple lifestyle, and I have little money in reserve. But I believe that the good of society and the potential of my students are worth the investment and the gift of my life. Education is not free and it is not easy. Contrary to the opinions of some students, college is not about how much one can drink, and party, and play games because no one is there to tell me otherwise. Education is about responsibility, picking courses and professors that help you, and engaging the world in a dialogue about how we can achieve the highest expressions of what it means to be human. If you failed to realize that and if you failed to take advantage of what was right in front of you, that is not the fault or failing of higher education. If you wanted an education that promised a job, you should have gone to trade school.

So, grow up. Realize how fortunate you are, how much you have learned, and if you are as smart as you think you are, prove it. Engage the world and make a difference. If nothing else, help the next generation learn so that we can still offer the hope of a better world.

A Dedicated Professor

Professor Jim Gaffney