Thursday, 6 August 2026

Masachaba Nonyani and HR specialist Cabelo Mohotsi argued that women’s invisible workload — childcare, housework, emotional labour and unpaid office support — slows promotions and leadership readiness unless organisations measure impact, not availability.

Mohotsi said managers should stop assuming mothers are unavailable for stretch roles, ask first, and use performance calibration to spot unconscious bias before promotion decisions are made.

Open Chair said many women leave marketing and advertising before senior level because of bullying, harassment and discrimination; the group’s code and Unspoken Alliance are meant to make the industry safer and more accountable.

Joy Mpande said The Polygamist’s success shows South African stories travel when they are authentic, relatable and rooted in local reality; the series reached number one in 21 countries and stayed seven weeks in Netflix’s global top 10.

The show also turned to African restitution, listing treasures such as the Benin bronzes, Rosetta Stone, Magdala treasures and Nok terracottas, and asking whether colonial-era loot should be returned to the communities that created it.