This Women’s Month, Nasheeta Du Toit the Head of Brand at CAPACITI shares a deeply personal and honest look back at what it meant to build a career during a time of exclusion and uncertainty. In her reflections, she honours women who are creating real change through mentorship, access, and visibility.
It’s hard to dream big when no one that looks like you is living that dream.
As a woman of colour who came of age during the final years of apartheid, I know what it means to walk paths where mirrors didn’t reflect faces like mine. My earliest dreams were shadowed by exclusion, obstacles and closed doors. I knew I had potential. I had achieved scholarships and awards, and yet the goal posts were blurry. What was I working so hard to achieve when the opportunities were for people who didn’t look and talk like me?
The reflection of possibility felt unachievable, but I persisted in finding my place and my purpose. That persistence lit a fire that still burns. This isn’t just a job to me, it’s deeply personal because it’s about showing my children, and the gifted young women of South Africa, that there is space for us to lead, to thrive, and to be heard. Our voices matter.
Despite women making up roughly half of South Africa’s workforce, black women hold only about 11.9% of top management roles, even though they represent 42.8% of the labour force(IOL). Even as late as 2023, structured mentorship remained scarce for previously disadvantaged women in the public sector despite their expressing mentorship as a crucial development tool (PMC).
When mentorship meets representation, transformation happens
When young women of colour see faces like mine in boardrooms and industries they were previously excluded from, they don’t just identify, they internalise:
“I belong here too”
When one of us steps up, she makes space for dozens more. Brands that invest in mentorship are investing in cultural capital, authenticity, innovation, and relevance.
As the Head of Brand at CAPACITI, we believe that every young South African carries potential like a locked treasure. All they need is the right key to unlock the door to a brighter future.
Phindile Dlamini, a CAPACITI alumni, remarks that
“Mentorship and representation are vital because it reminds us that we belong in every room we walk into. For women of colour, seeing ourselves reflected in leadership isn’t just inspiring it’s necessary. It creates a pathway, it builds confidence, and it tells the next generation: you can lead too”
Empower her future by supporting CAPACITI’s mentorship movement
Brands that invest in mentorship are investing in cultural capital, authenticity, innovation and relevance, because diversity of thought is pivotal to the success of any organisation.
Over the years, I’ve worked closely with many young women who were the first in their family to study or even show interest in a tech career. It’s a lonely journey when you’re a pioneer, because many young women of colour lack access to networks. I’ve seen the positive impact of mentorship because it creates a space to ask questions, to fail, and to rise with the support of a mentor.
When someone like me leads, what we’re saying is simple: Your vision is valid. Your voice is needed. Your story is ours.
