Women Physicians From South Africa

"“I would not have succeeded in my career had it not been for my husband,”says a very appreciative Adhikari."

"She achieved a lot. She was a very determined individual whose priorities were her patients and the children."

"It all matters, what you read, what you watch and listen to. Take care of your health. Nothing in life is handed to you, embrace hard work. In everything you do, look out for balance; not perfection."

"I think deep down I’m an eternal optimist. So, those things to me said, “I have a social and political responsibility to create more like me, or not even like me, even better than me.” I realised that when I finished my dermatology [degree] and I was the only African there. But I must say, in the department there were consultants who were very sensitive to my cause and very supportive. So I leaned towards those individuals and they kept encouraging me. I try not to have a victim mentality … there’s racism, there’s the question of women, etc. I always say to myself, “Okay, what can I do to change the status quo?” It’s about making things better."

"I try not to have a victim mentality … there’s racism, there’s the question of women, etc. I always say to myself, “Okay, what can I do to change the status quo?” It’s about making things better."

"Try to work with like-minded people. You will knock on many doors, but don’t give up, believe in yourself and believe in what you are doing."

"When your child has questions or in some cases can articulate their sexuality/gender experiences, handle them with respect and affirmations."

"Its never too early to give children the guidance and to create or make your relationship with them a safer space."

"One of my role models was my brother, Mluleki Dlova. He died at a young age, and it was at his funeral that I learned how much he used to do at Gillette, as CEO of a department. I learned how much he was doing to help the staff and create bursaries for students because he was in a position of power. That was also something that planted a seed."

"It is a balancing act. I think one has to set one’s own standards. Don’t compete with anyone because everyone’s situation is unique. I always say to women colleagues, I have one child and that was intentional, because that was the only way I could balance raising my child with having my career. Then again, you find people who have four or five children. You have to carve your own path. With mundane tasks, I delegate at home. For example, I’ve made sure that my helper is amazing. If I get a salary increase, hers also increases, because she’s my home manager. The third point is have a supporting husband, a supporting family. So, in a nutshell, it’s important to understand your own situation and not compete with others; instead, compete with yourself, be the best version of yourself. And you must love what you are doing. Talking about she balance academics with leadership."

"My research is working on improving perinatal outcomes and stillbirth auditing across Africa. In many countries, we don’t know what the real numbers are at the end of the day, so we have to start counting."

"But I am very clear about what my expertise is. It is also a sense of pressure and responsibility because I often feel that if a wrong decision is made, I am not speaking just for me, but for many."

"t's always the elephant in the room. When you walk into a room, and you don't see anyone that looks like you, sometimes you don't know if you are welcome or not. Luckily, i am comfortable with situations where I am minority."

"More importantly though, the role of women in their societies can tell us a lot. Communities that protect their women seem to have better health outcomes."

"It is a new discipline in medicine which focuses on access to surgery and improving quality of care and outcomes. I like to describe it as the interface between surgical services and surgical systems."

"Women should not have to make a choice between work and the wellbeing of their children."

"In short, to make Johannesburg “a city of golden opportunities: a vibrant, safe and resilient city, where the local government provides a quality life for every resident."

"They all come in search of golden opportunities synonymous with the city’s promise of gold. However, following years of neglect, mistreatment and abuse, our city now lies in ruins."

"Politics sometimes plays strange tricks on you. “We were surprised, just like everyone else."

"“It would be a profound mistake to assume that the council and its municipal administration can fix the city on its own. Partnership is often missing internally. Departments and entities must cooperate. Residents must receive real responses and not be… shoved from pillar to post. The entire municipality must work as a team."

"It’s a challenge because South Africa is very diverse, even the socio-economic status of the people in Johannesburg. So you have the billionaire on the one hand, who is looking forward to this first world city, and then you have someone in an informal settlement that says, ‘Just give me a toilet’. You have to be able to meet the needs of both constituencies."

"As a doctor, I was trained to bring things to life that are almost dead. I think a lot of the skills in medicine are transferable. The city is like a patient, it is sick and needs to be brought back to life, so you use the same approach as in medicine, the history, diagnosis, and come up with a treatment plan."

"I’m very grateful to God, I feel it’s an honor. It could have been any other woman, you know, the fact that God chose for me to be that woman. I really, don’t take it lightly. I’m very appreciative of holding that title. But I also realize the responsibility that comes with the title because it says, you are a front runner, you’ve opened the door for other women to come after you."

"A helping hand can surely make a significant difference; a helping hand touches and can change lives."

"A school is to a child what a minerals refinery is to precious gems."

"Change, and advocacy, by men and women begins within our immediate household and workplace environments. Patriarchy creates emotional scars that can only be healed through constructive dialogue."

"What is needed is political will—men and women who are sensitive to and committed to promoting gender equality for the overall benefit of society.""

"Empowering women must include men"

"is the potential synergies between these trends, the way they can positively reinforce one another, that really excites me, and makes me hopeful that we can recover lost ground and accelerate towards achieving the ever-elusive Sustainable Development Goals, and the overarching goal of a better and more sustainable future for all"

"Interacting with these themes, shaping them and being shaped by them, I feel there is a growing global sense that We need to put values and ethics back into how we think about our economic system, and how we understand the institutions that form part of them"

"The longer we wait, the greater the future costs are likely to be. On the other hand, there are opportunities in moving quickly now, and universities can play a catalytic research role in this area"

"These technologies hold immense potential, not least for better inclusion, but they can also be disruptive, and could potentially put jobs at risk"

"We remember and honour all those who have worked and suffered for the realisation of these rights and reaffirm our individual and collective commitment to work for a world where everyone is truly free"

"I believe that strategic investment in women and girls will ensure we address the most pressing issues that face women today. Addressing women’s issues is part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and Maverick’s impact will extend toward closing gender parity gaps"

"It's an important cultural moment, recognition of black excellence and talent from Africa"

"As chancellor I would like to see the University of Cape Town grow even further as an inclusive centre of excellence, embedded in the society around us, nurturing compassionate citizens and helping to prepare Africa take its rightful place in a technology-oriented world"

"I want to pose this as the challenge for all of us, and for this university: to bring to all the challenges we face, and will face, the same sense of compassionate urgency that we saw during the fire, and that we have seen in those helping the poor and vulnerable during the [COVID-19] pandemic"

"Creating a culture of ambitious and strong-willed women requires solidarity among women, and especially the inclusion of men. From my childhood experiences I recognise that our existence is interdependent."

"African consumers are now recognising their own designers are as valuable any of the brands they buy globally,""

"as a young girl I always enjoyed the feel and look of clothing. Growing up in Soweto, you socialised at weddings and church – those were times when you could shine and put on your best outfit and I enjoyed that. I couldn’t sew to save my life at school, but when playing with dolls with my siblings and cousins, I had the fashion sense, in terms of knowing what looked good on the dolls. And the passion grew from there. So going into the fashion industry was an easy transition for me, because I felt I could make a difference by investing in the growth of industries that define who we are as a nation. The fashion and arts industry is important in that regard, as well as the way it employs thousands of people, such as fabric makers, seamstresses and beaders”."

"I never agonised about not practising medicine. I believe you need to find things that you enjoy doing and explore them to the fullest, but don't get stuck with them. I don't believe in this myopic view of our careers, where you have to study something and then you have to work in that career for the next 50 years. It's like buying an expensive hammer and for the rest of your life you've got to be hammering in nails. I really don't believe that. I think medicine, in many ways, prepared me for many other things that I could do. Passion, hard work, honesty and respect for others is something I carry with me wherever I go. I hope that in 10 years' time I will go into something else. I believe in reinventing myself as a human being. There are people who want to stay in a career and explore it to the maximum, but I like change."

"Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us."

"I don't want to give the impression that because of gender, I was oppressed. I was, but then I lent myself to it. I regret it, as it was a disservice to women. But I was too unaware for too long."

"I think submission to authority and absolving oneself from blame by saying that one has to obey orders are widespread...I think all medical students should be taught about the research on submissiveness being a key etiological factor in the perpetuation of atrocities. They should be fully familiar with Milgram's work and reflect on Hannah Arendt's concept of the 'banality of evil'."

"All individuals are imperfect and forgetful and find it difficult to transcend immediate self-interest. Historically therefore it has been deemed essential to create constitutional bodies that uphold and insist on adherence to certain ethical standards...If all these medical ethical bodies are to gain the respect of the public they should remain alert to intervene whenever these standards are threatened."