Rise Up held its Annual Gala on October 26, 2023. Our theme this year was “Hear Our Voices,” a righteous declaration and tribute to the global voices of Rise Up Leaders who share their stories and advocate for meaningful change in their communities and countries around the world. Click on the videos below to watch our 2023 speakers.
Rise Up in South Africa: Lindelwe’s Story
Former Rise Up Project Coordinator Lindelwe Mapurisa shares how her experience as a mother influenced her passion for gender equity advocacy and the transformative work she is leading in South Africa.
Avril Campher
Corporate Responsibility Manager and Project Manager for TEC South Africa, Cummins Africa Middle-East Avril works to improve the quality of educational systems to ensure that the students of today are ready for the workforce of tomorrow, and that Cummins operations lead to a cleaner, healthier, and safer environment as well as increase opportunity and equity for those most in need. … Read More
Vusi Godfrey Ndukuya
Founder of Junior Citizens Southern Africa Vusi founded Junior Citizens South Africa to build the knowledge and capacity of local communities to actively participate in democratic and governance processes related to gender issues, including empowering victims of human trafficking and advocacy around social determinants of gender inequality such as climate and sustainability. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management. … Read More
Unathi Mahlati
Program Officer, Just Detention International-South Africa (JDI-SA) Unathi is passionate about protecting and advancing the rights of marginalized and vulnerable populations, particularly incarcerated women and girls. She is equally passionate about storytelling and using theatre as a tool for reflection, healing, and shining a spotlight on contested issues. She conducts research, provides technical support to the Department of Correctional Services’ … Read More
Soretha Venter
Human Rights Project Specialist, CALIBRICS Soretha designs and implements projects centered around human rights, public administration, and gender equity initiatives. She is passionate about realizing and advancing the rights of girls and women in Africa and South Africa, and has a special interest in effective leadership. Soretha has a master’s degree in law and is currently working toward obtaining her … Read More
Rethabile Mosese
Legal and State Actor Engagement Program Manager, Lawyers against Abuse (LvA) Rethabile provides holistic legal and psychosocial support to victims of gender-based violence in Diepsloot. Before joining Lawyers against Abuse (LvA), Rethabile served her articles of clerkship at the University of Pretoria Law Clinic. Her area of interest lies in constitutional and human rights and she is a passionate advocate … Read More
René du Plessis
Senior Human Resources Generalist, Cummins Africa Middle-East René supports human resources activities for the Corporate Functions within Cummins AME. Her career spans over 30 years in related administrative roles for large corporations. She also led the Cummins Magwa Community Involvement Team committee, ensuring corporate sustainability projects and initiatives were executed in line with Cummins’ Corporate Responsibility Strategy. Recently, she joined … Read More
Ntuthu Mbiko-Motshegoa
National Chairperson, African Farmers Association of South Africa – Women’s Desk Ntuthu is a beef cattle farmer and agripreneur (agricultural entrepreneur) known as the “Offal Queen.” She champions active participation and sustainable programs for women in agribusiness and the biodiversity economy. Ntuthu monitors, assesses, and influences the implementation of policies that affect women’s participation in agribusiness. She also develops and … Read More
Ntokozo KaMadlala Nxumalo
Senior Programmes Manager, Project Empower Ntokozo is a social justice activist and advocate committed to community mobilization for advancing women’s rights. She is a feminist who strongly believes that elevating women’s voices and participation is critical in decision making processes. In her current role, with Project Empower, a Durban based NGO that works on challenging and changing social norms and … Read More
