NPO: Phakama Women’s Academy launches 2025 Mentorship Programme

Phakama Women’s Academy turns 11! Zain Johnson is joined by Koo Govender as PWA launches its 2025 mentorship programme, continuing its mission of empowering young women with skills, confidence, and connections for career success.

Early Breakfast with Africa Melane is 702’s and CapeTalk’s early morning talk show. Experienced broadcaster Africa Melane brings you the early morning news, sports, business, and interviews politicians and analysts to help make sense of the world. He also enjoys chatting to guests in the lifestyle sphere and the Arts. All the interviews are podcasted for you to catch-up and listen. 
 
Thank you for listening to this podcast from Early Breakfast with Africa Melane 

 

For more about the show click  https://buff.ly/XHry7eQ and find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/XJ10LBU 
 
Listen live on weekdays between 04:00 and 06:00 (SA Time) to the Early Breakfast with Africa Melane broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj and CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3N 
 
Subscribe to the 702 and CapeTalk daily and weekly newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc 
 
Follow us on social media: 
 
702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 
702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 
702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 
702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 
702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702 

 
CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk 
CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk 
CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ 
CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk 
CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 
 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Because some journeys are better taken together.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Let's walk the talk seven notes. Well, it's time for
us to feature a fantastic NGO or an NPO that
does great work. And we do that every Friday morning.
And this morning, the Pakama Women's Academy PWA, founded by
trailblazer Coup Governor, has officially launched its twenty twenty five

(00:24):
mentorship program, marking eleven years of empowering young female graduates
to thrive in the workplace. Now WA has already impacted
over one hundred and fifty women since each launch in
twenty fifteen. This morning we will be chatting to Cool
Governor with the CEO of Publishers Group Africa about this

(00:45):
particular mentorship program. Very good morning to Yuku and welcome
to the Early Breakfast show.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Good morning Zane and happy saday.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Yeah it's frid yay at last. It seems that this
week has gone by quite quickly. The becom a woman's
academy is celebrating eleven years. What does this milestone actually
mean to you personally and to the women that you've
mentored over these eleven years.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
I think, firstly then, what it means to me personally
is that I'm fulfilling my purpose of empowering women and
also leaving my legacy in terms of seeing more women
seated around the boardroom table and the women that I've mentioned,
I've mentioned young women in very young positions, middle positions,

(01:36):
and senior positions, and what it really means to me
is seeing them thrive in these positions and also making
an impact in our communities and an impact in South Africa.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Why did you feel that it was so important to
create an academy specifically for young women entering the workplace,
because you know, the boardroom is to a large extent
still very well dominated and women need to be able
to have that independence to stand up in that boardroom, isn't.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
It absolutely so. Firstly, my one purpose is to have
women not as an exception in a boardroom, but it
has to become a norm. It has to be a
norm to have more women seated in a boardroom. But
going back, I love your question, going back to the
young kou governor in the twenties, I was not afforded

(02:33):
or given the privilege of mentorship because I was declined
mentorship by another female mentor. And in my young twenties,
I said one day when I become successful, I would
love to open up or found a women's academy and
therefore the birth of become a woman's academy to empower

(02:57):
and equip young women.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
This morning to Cool Governor and that she is the
CEO of Publicist Group Africa, and of course we are
chatting about the Pacama Women's Academy and they've launched their
twenty twenty five mentorship program. We'll give you details a
little later as to how to be involved in this
particular mentorship program. And mentorship within the framework of the boardroom,

(03:23):
in the framework of management and especially for young ladies,
is such an important thing. Cool, what are some of
the biggest challenges young female graduates face went transitioning from
university into the job market. I mean, it is a
one doesn't want to say it, but you know, when
you go into the job market, it is a very

(03:44):
challenging area to be in. And then you need to
you need to stand your own first of all in
the role that you've been given as a manager or
a senior person. And then of course you have to
stand your own as a woman that in that role.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
Absolutely, and I think the most important thing and if
I had to speak to the young KO governor, it
was my lack of confidence. I found it so difficult
to navigate into the corporate I had. I had great
academic skills, but I didn't have life skills. And therefore,
for COMA helps you with life skills, because the academic

(04:22):
institutions do a phenomenal job with academics, but life skills
are very difficult to actually learn. And therefore I feel
the young woman really struggle to navigate this corporate jungle.
And therefore the life skills are the one that helps
you to navigate it, empowers you to navigate it, to

(04:45):
eventually gain your seats around the boardroom table and to
have a voice in the corporate environment as well.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
This year's program features six models. Could you highlight some
of the most impactful ones and why they matters so
much to the young women entering you know, the job market.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
Sure, sure, I'll start off with I'll quickly go through them.
It's called the power of sisterhood. It's basically it's basically
building hands that empower the young women and creating a
sister with with being vulnerable with other female females like themselves.
Money matters it's crafting financial your financial journey and being

(05:30):
responsible once you start earning money. And I remember when
I first started earning, I wasn't very financially responsible. I
just loved shopping. And the other one is very steady,
you know. Tools for thinking in the job market is
how do we really think and be strategic in the

(05:52):
job market. The other module is unleash your brand. We
know how important your personal brand is in this industry
and creating an impactful personal brands Welcome to the world,
is navigating your career path. And the most important thing
is balance. You know, work life balance seems to be

(06:14):
three a cliche, but it's important to have that work
life balance and especially from away mental wellness perspective as well.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
One of the things that stand out for me, I
feel that you touched on it, which is developing your brand.
A number of people don't realize that when you work,
you're actually a brand within a brand, isn't it absolutely?

Speaker 1 (06:39):
And the other thing it's so important, you know now
it's social media. You've got to be authentic on your
certain on your on your brand. You can't go and
bash somebody because that's that's been creating negativity on your
on your brand, So whatever it is, you've got to
have a strategy of how to build authentic brand and

(06:59):
what does your brand stand for?

Speaker 2 (07:03):
How can people be part of this and support or
possibly even sign up for the next mentorship program.

Speaker 1 (07:11):
So were on Instagram at Pacama's Women's Academy, were on
Facebook PA Women's Academy. We would love to have input
and would love to have support.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
And what is your message out there to a number
of women who are in the job market at the
moment who find themselves on the back foot. And you
know that, I always feel that there is no excuse
for you to make just because you're a woman. You
are as good as anybody else in the wardroom.

Speaker 1 (07:43):
Absolutely, and Zane, I've been VwV. I've been the first
female CEO a publicist group Africa, being the first female CEO.
So there's no excuse to say I'm a woman and disadvantage.
You've got a shop every day, you've got a hair.
You've got to know what your purpose is. And the
other thing is when you gain that seat, you've got

(08:07):
to impact others around you.

Speaker 2 (08:10):
Why is mentorship such an important part of a person's
journey and especially your journey within the workplace.

Speaker 1 (08:18):
For me, mentorship helped me. I don't have the experience
that my mentor health had, so he basically navigated me
through work life experience. And also mentorship is important because
mentors have the wisdom that we don't have as ben
tees and therefore mentorship is so important.

Speaker 2 (08:40):
That is the cool governor chatting to us this morning,
Thank you so much for your time. She is the
CEO of Publicist Group Africa and talking about the Pacama
Women's Academy. They've launched their twenty twenty five mentorship program.
You can find the details at Pacarma Women's Academy and

(09:00):
of course you can join there. Mentorship within the workspace
for me personally is a very very important part of
any job, and I don't think enough is being done
in terms of mentorship. But I know that you know,
when you are teamed up with somebody a little senior
than what you are and that person becomes your mentor,

(09:21):
you are not only within a space at being mentored
in terms of your job, but also on your personal journey.