BBC 100 Women series
Five South Africans will join the BBC 100 Women series, which features woman figures from around the globe who do important work in their countries in their fields.
The South Africans include Chairperson of the African Union Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, 66, Verashni Pillay, 31, the newly appointed editor of Mail & Guardian and Karabo Mathang, 28, the first female FIFA-accredited sports agent.
Naval captain Lieutenant-Commander Zimasa Mabela, 38, and entrepreneur Clara Reid, 29, who designed Reel Gardening in a bid to simplify gardening, also made the list.
The BBC 100 Women series on December 1 will host a series of debates on gender issues from across the globe and will be broadcast live on BBC World News.
Several groups across South Africa will host discussions to contribute to the BBC’s live feed, including Life College Unlimited, People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) in Johannesburg, Rape Crisis Centre in Cape Town and Help Age International in Pretoria.
The women will discuss leadership, image and relationships and share their views on the need to conform to standards of what makes a “good woman”, including how they accept or resist those standards.
Fiona Crack, BBC 100 Women editor said: “This debate is really special because we are giving women around the world the opportunity to have their voices heard on topics that matter to them. We’ll be tapping in to more than 100 conversations happening in almost 50 countries, and we’re excited to have contributions from South Africa. The level of response we’ve had of people wanting to take part is testament to how needed these debates are.”
The debates will also feature the universities of Harvard, Yale, Tokyo, Mumsnet, the Girl Guides, Kelly Yang project, Age International, Women to Women in LA, Being Female in Nigeria, Afghanistan Women’s Organisation, the 50/50 group in Sierra Leone and the School of the Nations in Macau, among others.
The debates can viewed on BBC World News’s DSTV channel 400 on December 1 and can also be viewed online at bbc.com or listened to on BBC World Service’s DStv audio channel 850.
