April Issue

Dear Readers,

The need to put the spotlight on women’s enduring fight with imbalances in many aspects of this world is long overdue. While there has been progress to bridge the gender diversity gap around the world, there has been a growing number of women who have come together to fight the inequalities they have been subjected to over the years. Women continue to make moves to bring about change to a gender gap across a multitude of industries. More importantly, there have been many women who have stepped up in many ways than one. One such woman is Miriam Dube, who is the brain behind The Feature - an online blog magazine dedicated to the upliftment of women and youth – enabling them to be closer to their skills and dreams and to further uncover their true potential.

Throughout the challenging year that was 2020, which she says it has been a true test of belief and perseverance, Miriam remained resolute in realising her dream of empowering women. She has done so by recruiting graduates at a time where most were given retrenchment letters; to train them in areas of media and further preparing them for the corporate world – giving them the necessary skills and experience needed for entry-level jobs. This may not be much to the world, however to Miriam it has been an important impact in a challenging time.

“In the past 12 months, we were adversely challenged by COVID – 19, and to survive it, we were required to pull together while we are regulated to be apart. This was not an easy feat, but we did it. And in the same spirit, I had the honour of working with leading women to publish stories of their own perseverance, and their ideas to move society forward.”

It is through this contribution that Miriam has managed to lead the way for future generations of philanthropist like her. Miriam has accomplished so many milestones throughout her career. Among her extensive list of accolades, Avance Media acknowledged her as one of the Top 100 Influential Young South African. This is one of the many titles bestowed upon her. And even more, she continues to make strides in her career as a Human Resource professional, now working for one of the leading banks in Africa.

In the meantime, Miriam is also attempting to curb the Gender-Based Violence that is forever growing in South Africa. She aims to improve and deepen the knowledge on GBV of South African children through a children’s book, which is yet to be published and distributed to schools. She believes that educating children should be the first step to curbing the pandemic that GBV is and further fighting the inequalities that a girl child is exposed to.

Miriam is definitely a force of change and one of South Africa’s unsung heroes of women empowerment. Through her platform, she has portrayed what is thought to be the epitome of selfless.

Johanna Molokomme,
Writing Assistant
The Feature