Women From South Africa

"Today it works as a glue that holds the identity together at the intersections of specific versions of gender, sexuality, class and race."

"One of the answers lies in the country’s history of colonisation by two contending settler classes."

"the battle against apartheid was not won with politics, but with prayer."

"homosexuality, climate change and economic justice."

"had no hesitation in saying that I am an activist."

"The 10-yar review analyses an array of more reliable and important information to reach telling conclusions. Above all, it finds that, although improved social protection and democracy for the majority, it must do more to ensure greater economic inclusion and preparation for most. The review identifies soaring unemployment as the key factor behind growing economic disparities and exclusion. The unemployment rate has risen from 16 percent in 1995 to 31 percent today. In contrast to these arguments, the statistical basis of the review's conclusion on income distribution is extraordinarily weak. It has two stages: defining the trend in income distribution, and then examining the impact of government spending."

"The government's 10-year review argues that, in economic terms, household equality has greatly improved, especially as a results of government programmes. This conclusion has received considerable publicity, although it is not particularly important for the review's overall integrity and findings. It would be a great pity if the review's brief and not very sound note on income distribution overshadowed its deeper analysis and broader policy implications."

"Rather than picking out particular bits of interesting information from the review - which is packed with fascinating data - it would make more sense to engage with its overall argument. The call for a sustainable, equitable development strategy should not be lost in debates over the data or efforts to highlight the good news while ignoring the bad."

"For instance, suppose a household's monthly income is R1 000, or R12 000 for the year. If the family has four children in school they are getting an extra R12 000 from the state, doubling their income. But does that help us understand the economic difficulties they face in the short run? After all, it won't put food on the table. It is important to assess the redistributive role of the state - but we shouldn't act as if that in itself is enough to justify or redress high levels of income inequality. The income distribution figures in the review appear to underplay the extent of inequality and overplay improvements. Most studies show that income distribution has probably worsened, as unemployment has risen and wages have fallen."

"As a second step, the review does not explain its methodology clearly. It seems this finding derives from a projection from 1997 spending patterns, without actual study of 2000 figures. As a result, the finding of better income distribution between 1997 and 2000 really seems to follow solely from the purported improvement in income equality in this period - which, as noted above, is highly dubious. More fundamentally, we have to ask ourselves whether this is a useful way to understand the redistributive function of the state. After all, in most countries, government plays a significant redistributive function. But that is not all the same, in social or economic terms as improving income distribution."

"If the 10-year review wanted to rely only on the 1997-2000 period, it should have explained the reported worsening in income distribution between 1995 and 1997. In any case, the 2000 figure still represents a high level of inequality by world standards. The World Bank's World Development Indicators for 2003 report only about five countries with equal or higher inequality, most of them in southern Africa (Swaziland and Namibia) and Latin America."

"As a first step, based on Statistics South Africa surveys, the review argues that inequality in terms of earned incomes dropped sharply between 1997 and 2000. But Statistics South Africa itself found that income distribution worsened slightly between 1995 and 2000. The review says that more people lived in poverty and, distressingly, more children suffered malnutrition in the late 1990s than five years previously. A key problem is that the review relies on the 1997 October household survey and the 2000 labour force survey instead of looking at the full trend from 1995 to 2002. In addition, the 1997 figures are out of line with the years before and after because income inequalities appeared to be much worse in 1997. As a result, the data suggests an unbelievable decline in income inequalities. It suggests that the Gini coefficient, which seeks to measure inequality, dropped from 0.68 to 0.59. In contrast, Statistics South Africa says the Gini worsened from 0.56 in 1995 to 0.57 in 2000."

"Pro-science activists have fought back by deploying empirical evidence and political credibility to resist AIDS conspiracy theories, which is part of the crucial project to defend evidence-based medicine."

"Four symbolically powerful figures ensuring the lifespan of AIDS denialism: the hero scientist (dissident scientists who lend credibility to the movement); the cultropreneur (alternative therapists who exploit the conspiratorial move as a marketing mechanism); the living icon (individuals who claim to be living proof of AIDS denialism's legitimacy); and the praise-singer (journalists who broadcast movement messages to the public)."

"Contemporary AIDS denialism, the belief that HIV is harmless and that antiretroviral drugs are the true cause of AIDS, is a more insidious AIDS conspiracy theory. Advocates of this position make a "conspiratorial move" against HIV science by implying its methods cannot be trusted and that untested, alternative therapies are safer than antiretrovirals. These claims are genuinely life-threatening, as tragically demonstrated in South Africa when the delay of antiretroviral treatment resulted in nearly 333,000 AIDS deaths and 180,000 HIV infectionsa tragedy of stunning proportions."

"We had to start somewhere."

"We started the NGFS as a network of the willing, but we are moving more and more to having a network of the committed."

"We want to see more engagement among the new joiners and active participation in the network."

"NGFS membership cannot become a greenwashing opportunity for central banks that simply want to appear to be proactive on climate change."

"We have managed to achieve a broader membership among emerging market countries. This is a concern that we’ve had in the past: whether the NGFS is just a network that’s made up of western countries, if it’s relevant for everyone else."

"Sabine and I spent quite a bit of time discussing the things we want to focus on. And I wish I could say it was one or three, but there’s actually quite a few."

"We’ve got our hands full."

"For climate risk, the past is not a good predictor of the future."

"Find an ecosystem to nurture your ideas, because going at it alone is virtually impossible. Mosia's advice to newbies in the TECH industry"

"We used to claim that the sky’s the limit, but by being in the sky we are already defining what the limit is and limiting how far we can go."

"When we did our basic military training it was tough, you get trained physically. We ate proteins mostly because you must endure long distances, you must be agile, strong, quick thinking."

"The combat pilots are the first to engage any enemy infringement."

"As I turned a page, I saw a recruitment article by the air force. My grades were really good at school and I met the entry requirements. I was thrilled."

"There is a certain level of excitement that comes with flying something fast and manoeuvrable and is able to do those acrobatic manoeuvres."

"When I was in grade 10, doing research on careers in maths and science, I came across an advert by the South African Air Force, looking for pilots. That's when I realised that this is my opportunity. This is what I want to do."

"When you set a goal, and you follow it with a plan, eventually, you start attracting the scenarios that enable you to get closer to that goal. Before you know it, you achieve what you set out."

"The next challenge or fire to put out is always around the corner."

"“Innovation isn’t just about technology — it’s about understanding the people you’re trying to serve and meeting them where they are.”"

"There is something incredibly rewarding about waking up each day and feeling like you’re having an impact, a real impact on people’s lives."

"Entrepreneurship is not for the fainthearted. Being a woman can make it harder, and that means you have to have a doubly thick skin. Mosia speaking to African women entrepreneurs"

"Never apologize for wanting a seat at the table and pursuing your dreams. For African women in particular, there will be times, in fact more often than not, when you look around a room (whether it’s of investors, fellow entrepreneurs, or potential partners) and wonder where your place is in this world of white men, this world that you want to be a part of, one of innovators, rebels, adventurers, game-changers. Don't let feeling like an outlier deter you from being the change in representation that you want to see in the world."

"The scale of the energy access challenge means that our dreams have to be big too.”"

"Go after what you want. Dare to go after your dreams, no matter how ridiculous they or the notion of you being the one to achieve them seems.Mosia's word of advice to African women in STEM"

"I have always had an adventurous spirit, and have striven to push the envelope and look for creative solutions to challenges."

"I had to make a decision about whether I really wanted to be a lawyer or to pursue media."

"The more I watched television, the more I understood that this thing actually shapes the world that we live in."

"I work with leaders from all walks of life. The goal is to help them understand the power of personal narratives and organizational narratives too."

"I feel social media was important in creating this ecosystem of people that I possibly wouldn't have had access to. We all work together in our community to create despite coming from different cultures and from different backgrounds. And what connects is our passion for music, our work ethic, our drive and our morals."

"I'm a very, very lowkey and private person [in everyday life] so I use social media and that's actually how I met all of the people I worked with on this project."

"I think it was just to represent who I am. I wanted it to get to the point and to get my message across. The EP was the right introduction for me into the music industry. It's not too much but at the same time it's not too little, it's just enough and that's exactly why I wanted to get the right amount of songs out there for people to relate to."

"It was the moment I got to the University. I was trying to make all the music I can with my allowance. I would literally not eat and use the money I would get from my parents to book studio sessions and buy beats instead. I was busy sourcing people that could help me work on my project at the time and I could definitely say Pretoria fueled my love for music, which I said in the beginning. Although it’s a quiet place, when I make music there’s so much color, life, and entertainment. That’s all I wanted to do."

"Well, I’ve been singing since I was 6 years old. I was in the choir at that time. I was in the choir basically my whole life and that life really set the foundation for my music, but when I got to high school I became a bit more independent. I wanted to take my love for music a step further and that’s when I decided to leave the choir. I was 16 years old at that time. I was teaching myself how to write music but I also took a break from engaging in cultural activities around tenth grade because I was working on my confidence. Then when I got to the University here in Johannesburg. That’s when I really started taking the music seriously."

"It really is about your faith and your work ethic."

"Then when I got to the University here in Johannesburg, that’s when I really started taking the music seriously"

"I was teaching myself how to write music but I also took a break from engaging in cultural activities around tenth grade because I was working on my confidence."