Nobuhle Radebe entered corporate South Africa with big dreams but, they were dashed when she realised they came at a cost.
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Working in corporate may seem glamourous, but appearances can be deceiving. Nobuhle Radebe, a digital communications specialist claimed that she has experienced the darker side.
She opened up about how she was excited to join the corporate world as a black woman but, was met with a myriad of challenges that forced her to exit the space.
"As a young black woman, I entered the corporate world with ambition, resilience, and the belief that women, especially black women, would uplift and support each other. But what I encountered was a reality that is rarely spoken about: gatekeeping by women in positions of power," she said.
Radebe added that the most difficult barrier she faced was not external bigotry or a lack of chances; it was resistance from women who had already ascended the ladder. Instead of mentorship, there was exclusion, competition and no collaboration, she claimed.
The career-driven woman went on to say that there was a scarcity mindset, the assumption that there is only room for one or two women at the top which divides women and holds them back.
By lifting and climbing together, women can create generational change, she added.
She told IOL that once instance of such discrimination was when she was six months pregnant. "Despite joining at an incredibly busy time and receiving no training, I adapted quickly to the company. My manager eventually scheduled training, but by then, I was starting to find my feet.
"After one particular meeting, she pulled me aside and said, 'Remember that you're pregnant, and you don’t want that to affect your staying here.' Her words caught me off guard. When I first shared my pregnancy news, both she and HR were excited and assured me that it wouldn’t be an issue. But now, it was subtly being used against me."
In The Black Girl's Guide to Corporate South Africa, a woman shared with author Lindelwa Skenjana that: "Black men benefit from racial diversity, while white women benefit from gender diversity. The whole world is busy patting itself on the back for 'progress' and no one is realising that there is someone not in the room: black women."
Radebe also claimed that a white employee before her, who was pregnant with twins, was praised for working until she went into delivery.
"Yet, despite my strong performance backed by documented 40-hour workweeks and efficiency I was given the option to leave by the end of the month under the guise of 'not meeting company standards.' I had only been at the company for four weeks. Which is so insane for me to comprehend."
While the accounts of the women in The Black Girl's Guide to Corporate South Africa demonstrate that it is possible to survive and prosper in this environment, the fact is that for most black women, it comes at a cost, said For Women in Law.
"It comes with not being able to arrive and be your authentic self, feeling invisible, undermined, watching while someone takes credit for your ideas, being stereotyped and labelled as angry, aggressive and hard to work with," explained the group.
Radebe's exit from corporate filled her with new purpose to be a beacon of light and safe haven for other women. She has devoted herself to creating environments that empower and encourage women, especially mothers, in both their personal and professional lives.
In a report by StatsSA in 2024, the country's working-age population grew by nearly six million, increasing from 35,3 million in the second quarter of 2014 to 41,3 million in 2024's second quarter. Despite this rise, gender disparities in the working-age population remained relatively stable across provinces over this period.
"Self-employed women were more likely to be in the informal sector, while self-employed men were predominantly in the formal sector. An analysis of business size revealed that men were more likely to own companies with 20 or more employees, while women were more likely to operate as sole proprietors," said StatsSA.
Additionally, management roles in the public sector are still dominated by men, while women's presence has increased, particularly in middle management.
The percentage of women in middle management (MMS) jobs increased from 45.2% in 2019 to 46.4% in 2023, while senior management (SMS) posts increased from 42.4% to 45.2% during the same period.
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